The Wolfpack - Overlord Fanfiction
by Sasugasm
Summary: An entirely new player wake up in the New World, landing on a big island with an elaborate backstory. The humans inhabiting the island are threatened by orcs who suddenly regrouped around a powerful leader. Watch as the main character diligently take over both kingdom using impressive schemes (closely linked to the overlord world).
1. Prologue

**Overlord Doujin — A Wolfpack**

* * *

 **Prologue**

A loud sound could be heard from afar.

The melody was very deep, with low-frequency to carry farther and cut through noise easily.

In a matter of seconds, everyone in the surrounding recognized its particular aspect, and understood its clear meaning quickly —

It was a warning call informing of an incoming attack.

The soldiers knew what they had to do, but not a single one moved. It was too surprising and unexpected for them to actually suffer an onslaught in this city. They just stood there, confused, thinking about the reasons that would push the watchtower to trigger the alarm.

Humans often withstood monsters attack in the Lasiroth kingdom. These events were frequent and it almost became natural for the citizens to defend themselves against these assaults. But in this city, it was rather improbable for them to get invaded.

The fortified walls and the complex building layout permitted an impenetrable protection, and common sense would tell you to abandon your hope of conquering it if it was defended by even the tiniest amount of soldiers. It truly was a masterpiece in term of defenses.

The message was, however, clear. Someone had the firm intention to launch an attack on this place.

Was it monsters ?

One could be doubtful about it.

Human's old enemies could not have breached the safeguarded place standing between this city and their territory. If so, they would have passed the strongest town in the kingdom who held no more than ten thousand elite guards and whose goal was solely to defend the border.

Disorganized monsters would never think of even approaching the stronghold, even as a dare, due to the fear and the power it inspired.

If an army had somehow managed to get through, the information would have spread all over the country and the nobility would have reacted in the second. The king's information network was nothing to be made fun of.

But for now, the city received no orders, no reports mentioning an attack.

Based on this reasoning, there was only one enemy who could approach the city with a force strong enough to undertake a siege — an army of humans.

However, it would be strange —

In fact, starting a war was an absolute taboo. Embedded in all spirit, there was a reason behind this choice.

For years, the country had struggled to repel off the orcs and goblins, achieving masterstroke after masterstroke until they could finally earn their territory and build a strong frontier.

But, even after they managed to get to a stable situation, scattered monsters attacked the villages, one after the other, resulting in a difficult situation for the Kingdom.

In response, a new complex system was created, designed to use the available force to stop the guerilla warfare. In this fragile system, the Lasiroth Kingdom couldn't afford to lose any of their precious force. As long as they remained united, they could keep a decent lifestyle and survive in the region.

How could someone break the unspoken rule ? Was it one of the royal nobles ? Then who would be stupid enough to follow him and start a war ?

There were many questions raised by the situation and everyone was waiting to get answers — they were watching from the top of the walls, trying to recognize anything.

But... it looked like the situation was far worse than they thought —

It wasn't a human attack —

A huge orcs army had breached through the frontier and progressed toward the city at an incredible speed.

Judging from the mass, they weren't the frail warriors that composed most of the usual groups of village raiders. The incoming army consisted of the elite of their kind.

With large shoulders and a height that exceeded that of a human by a head or two, they were equipped with heavy warforged armors and weapons. Each one of them was conveying the feel of an immovable mountain, as if any of their warriors could effortlessly take on a hundred soldiers.

A city like Tomes wasn't made to withstand such an attack — apart from the natural defense of the city, there were only 200 soldiers for its defense.

In the Lasiroth Kingdom, Tomes was a commercial town used to convey food to the frontier and serving as a base for the adventurers to trade their finds and get a good rest. The purpose of its perfect defense was solely for dissuasion, and no one could have imagined that such an army would get to the city's gate.

Thereby, seeing the horde of orcs coming this way was clear enough —

— The city's fate was sealed.

The approaching thunder of steps was enough to bury the city in chaos, waking up the sleepy heads.

The citizens fled their home as the market became empty in a matter of minutes. People were falling and trampled down by the mass as they packed their belongings as fast as they could. The whole city was reeking of fear.

The local lord could not help but react to the tumult.

He was the only one who could make the guards defend the city and return it to order. Furthermore, he knew too well the consequences if he were to lose Tomes.

After shouting orders like "Close the Gate" or "Send a message to the king", he tried, in vain, to turn to the citizens to get help with the defenses — but they wouldn't listen to him as they were all running away desperately.

Their terror made them ignore their lord's demand because even the dumbest slave knew the hard truth —

If the orcs kept their advance, they would quickly ravage a good part of the north-east of the realm. Yet, the frail humans who composed Tomes couldn't do anything about it.

They were too weak and terrorized — if one tried anything, he would just get wiped out like an insect. They could just desperately focus on their own interests and find a way to survive the battle.

Then, the fateful moment arrived —

As the orc army reached the gate, two orcs went in the sky and flew to the top of the walls. Their ranks counted magic casters who used the [Fly] spell — a prowess even among the best.

After slaying everything on their way to the gate opening mechanism, the two flying orcs unlocked the doorway to the city having their allies behind the gate rushing in loudly.

Screams of terror, blood scattered everywhere, corpse laying on the roadway, fire swallowing the street. It truly was a horrific view. There was nothing that the humans could do to prevent this unrelenting force from going any further.

The few soldiers defending the city were falling at an alarming speed while the survivors felt in despair, accepting their fate. Some adventurers were taken in the commotion and directly focused down after they revealed to be able to cast a spell or to hold a weapon.

After 15 minutes, the state of the defense announced a total victory for the Orcs.

They had eradicated the guards, and the fire was swallowing a good part of the right side. The remaining citizens were desperately trying to run away to save their life while the orcs suffered very few casualties. Seeing from afar, monsters freely swarmed into the streets, unstoppable, and slaughtering anyone in their way.

Something nevertheless stopped their advance when nothing else could have saved the citizens —

Like a divine wrath, a massive lightning appeared about 3 miles toward the south.

It was too big to be of natural cause, and even though it was morning, the blue light filled every corner of the battle — quite an incredible color for thunder. Furthermore, the sky was almost clear, and no clouds on the horizon could have produced such lightning.

Time stopped moving, orcs and humans were looking at the phenomenon which lasted 3 or 4 seconds. Total confusion was spread on both sides as they had their mouth wide open.

What was this mysterious light?

It wasn't hard for any grown up warriors to realize this was the result of a high tier spell. They knew how to recognize magic, and this singularity resembled one from any point of view — though, it was of a magnitude they had never seen before.

Understanding this simple fact, a painted orc who appeared to be the chieftain took a step forward and shouted in panic.

"Retreat !"

As soon as he pronounced this word, the ground began to tremble dangerously from the impact of the spell — causing damaged buildings to fall and provoking menacing sounds.

In itself, earthquakes would not frighten the brave orc warriors, but in this situation, it was clear that the spell from earlier was the cause for this dangerous fury. It was enough to establish fear in their heart and seal the matter of retreat because of a simple reason :

They could not fight this force if it were to turn against them.

As they were heading back to the exit, the shockwave produced by the lightning caught up to them, carrying an overwhelming wind who propelled the few clouds away and making some of the warriors lose their balance.

With the tempest, a large crackling noise could be heard, resembling that of a ravaging explosion. The sound was so loud that nearly everyone had to cover their ears not to risk becoming deaf and you could hear pained screams from both sides.

The orcs went from victory to defeat in an instant, and they fled the battlefield in a disorganized manner — giving the dumbfounded humans a chance to live longer.

Oddly, a lot of orcs weren't the least discouraged.

In fact, the chieftain who ordered the retreat was already planning to deal with this crushing force.

The reason he decided to run away was that he knew the importance of information. He had to inform the supreme leader and wouldn't risk losing the elite warriors of his people so quickly — even if it meant that he would be considered a coward.

Knowledge on how they should fight this power was all they needed to continue forward.

Was it one of the treasures that the humans were hiding? Or one of the legendary dragons? He had to make sure they don't die unnecessarily because their only way to defeat that power may well be this elite army.

They would eventually come back, and, this time, they would claim back their long-lost territory.


	2. Chapter 1 - The New World

**Chapter 1 - The New World**

* * *

 **Author's words**

First, thank you for the kind reviews. Even if I haven't responded, I read them all and it made me incredibly happy to get support, even the littlest. I hope I can live up to your expectations and I will try my best to give you improved content every time.

As to talk about this chapter, honestly I have no idea how it renders in the eye of a stranger to the story, but I hope you can appreciate it nevertheless. I am alone creating the story and I have no one to check if I am writing a shitty script. That is why, if someone wants to check after me, I would be glad to let him yell at me for my mistakes.

— Sasugasm

* * *

 **Part 1**

As the sun slowly illuminated the sky, Kabal regained consciousness bit by bit after a long night's sleep.

Everything was calm and relaxing. The ambient sounds were faint, and very few could disturb his sleep — the cold wind was blowing the leaves and the birds were squeaking in the distance. The only thing that troubled him was the cold damp ground — he was in an uncomfortable position, and the leaves were itching him.

…

 _Wait ? What ?!_

Kabal got up in panic and watched his surrounding — he was outside, in the middle of what seemed to be a forest.

"What the hell is going on ?!"

 _... I don't remember anything of the sort …Did I drink too much yesterday ? I don't think so ? I recall YGGDRASIL closure but nothing after. What is this place ? I have never seen something so … natural._

As he was pondering these thoughts, he had inadvertently pulled up his hand to his mouth to bite his nails — a bad habit of stress.

When he finally paid attention to it, his mind went blank. He stood still dumbly and stopped breathing — watching himself for 5 seconds — it wasn't his hand nor his body.

 _W— What !? … H— How ?!... Did I got caught in some mafia traffic and my body was swapped with someone else's ? It doesn't even make sense ! But why such a place ? They want me to die quietly ?_

After a minute of fast-paced reflexion, and quite shaken by his sudden state, Kabal observed his surroundings. He was totally panicking and as disoriented as ever — his hopes were that he would get a clue of what happened by taking a glimpse of the situation.

It was early in the morning, and the sky was still dark. Trees surrounded Kabal in a very dense vegetation and a lot of dead brown leaves covered the floor. Even if he could barely see outside of the forest, he successfully distinguished a mountain not so far away.

… _I have no idea of where I am._

Kabal stood still thinking of the course of action he should be taking while shivering out of panic. His thoughts consisted of quick sentences like "I'm gonna die" or "It's got to be a prank" but after an internal struggle, he eventually envisaged to head up to the mountain — he wanted to get a good sight of the region and see if he could recognize anything familiar. Furthermore, he couldn't stay passive and do nothing. He felt it was better to act, even if his actions were devoid of senses.

With some courage and uncertainty, Kabal got up and walked toward the mountain.

After 10 minutes of walking, Kabal found himself face to face with a river. He was thirsty, and the unexpected sight of water was a boon for him.

 _If the water is poisoned, I'm a dead man… Doesn't matter, I'm too thirsty._

He walked toward the river, albeit rather sluggishly. The weight was just too heavy to accept. How could he just simply accept his new body, the strange environment or the oppressive silence of the forest ?

Midway through the road, he remarked a strange form lying under the shadow of a rock. He leaned closer out of curiosity and suddenly froze — a brown grizzly was peacefully eating a fish... and Kabal had surprised him.

The astonished beast saw Kabal as he was dumbly staring at her — immobile. As unlucky as it could be, the bear felt threatened due to his freshly caught prey and, consequently, he charged the dumbfounded human with a particular imposing sound.

 _What the hell ?!_

Seeing the speed of the monster in front of him, Kabal was confused and instinctively curled up in a defensive position with his arms protecting his head — hoping that it would minimize the damage. Soon after, the bear caught up to Kabal and tried to stuck down his teeth in his forearm while tackling him down.

... But, instead of grasping his arm and propelling him forward, the beast did not even hurt Kabal — it was as if it had tried to attack a stone pillar.

Instead, the imposing body flew throughout the air and landed on the dirt, causing a muffled sound. With a great confusion and some minor injuries, the frightened grizzly arose from the ground and ran away in a hurry, leaving his fish behind.

… _?_ W-What ? ... _Did the bear just trip over ?_

After this roller coaster of emotion, Kabal couldn't believe what just happened. As incredible as it may seem, he was alone and alive and the bear had been getting out of here as fast as possible.

Kabal still took a good minute to recover mentally, and checked if he had any wounds. He seemed to be untouched and could see no apparent injuries. His face showed a confused expression as he recalled what just happened.

The whole situation was just weird.

Why would a bear attack him then run away ? It made no sense whatsoever. Furthermore, he should have been a bit more afraid than that, his body should be shivering out of relief — Kabal knew it should be the case, but none of these emotions were happening.

Kabal couldn't help but reflect on this fact.

Was it the adrenaline who had this effect ? Or maybe because it wasn't his body ? He felt goosebumps just at this thought — if this corpse had an influence on his behavior, at what point would it stop ?

As he was pondering this matter, something stopped his train of thoughts.

— Kabal had approached the river, and as he was about to drink, something caught his attention. His reflection seemed oddly familiar to him, as if he had already seen it before. It was rather improbable because it would mean that the guy responsible for this situation made a glaring mistake that could guide Kabal to him.

Out of curiosity, he looked closer and realized what was going on —

"I'm in the game… No, that's not possible. I should say that I am in a world similar to _this game_."

Due to his surprise and relief, Kabal had expressed his thoughts out loud — the reflection that he saw on the water was the face of one of his in-game character, coming from an infamous DMMO-RPG called "YGGDRASIL".

YGGDRASIL was supposed to be one of the games that allowed players to enter a virtual world and experience it as though it were real life. Supposedly, the game was supposed to close down the day before and, in the light of this event, Kabal had been present for its closure.

He was a fervent user, playing whenever he had the time and staying until the very end — even after his friends left. That was why the nostalgia and the sorrow had caused him to close his eyes at the last moments — because he couldn't bear to see his world scatter and see all his precious moments disappear before his sight.

Usually, the server should have woken him up or disconnected him, but he couldn't remember anything after… This simple fact was enough to understand that he was certainly not in the real world but rather in YGGDRASIL.

It also explained the reaction of the bear from earlier — he had attempted to injure Kabal, and when it realized the difference in power, it ran away like any low ranked monster of the game.

 _I'm glad I didn't land on another monster… It would have been horrifying._

This sudden enlightenment made him fall in deep thoughts.

He found the world to be far too realistic compared to YGGDRASIL. The quality of the animations or even the variety of ambient sounds were far beyond the possibility of a DMMO-RPG.

The worst part was that he was too calm about it.

Deep in his heart, Kabal felt that he should be the victim of an anxiety attack right now, but instead, he was hardly troubled — as if he were used to that sort of unexpected situation. Returning to the real world was far from his first concern right now, and he couldn't help but feel uncertain about this.

Plus there was something else he found weird.

The feelings who just happened in this world seemed more real than anything he had experienced for a long time — his emotion were genuine and his mind as clear as ever. It was as if he finally woke up from a long dream and it greatly confused him because he couldn't tell anymore if the real world was this one or the other. However, he wrongfully thought there was one truth :

If reality had become like the game he used to play, he had little reason to try to get back to his life — he would surely be happier here.

 _Rest to see if this world is a nightmare..._

Kabal sunk into deep reflection. Questions were left unanswered and he couldn't continue without finding an answer. Like why would he get transported to YGGDRASIL, and how ? He felt that as long as he had no answers, it was pointless to continue forward.

That is why, after a long moment of thinking of potential surmises, he finally came to an explanation — or more like a theory which satisfied him.

With a smile on his face he took a step forward.

He had come to the conclusion that this world had indeed become the new reality — and he firmly believed in the theory he had found because various explanations could back-up it.

To prove he was right as well as checking if this world was related to the game, he decided to try and cast a spell.

 _It's going to be ridiculous... I hope no one is watching._

He concentrated on the ability he used the most — the summoning of his favorite beast among the one he collected. Focusing on the spell, he tried to remember the feeling he had in YGGDRASIL and said the name out loud.

"[Summon Pet: Spyro]"

With a whirlwind of fire, a magical beast appeared in front of him.

It was a phoenix who resembled a majestic red bird with the size of a wolf. Its body exerted an unbearable heat and small sparkles kept surging from everywhere — as if it was on fire.

In YGGDRASIL, it was an exceedingly rare monster of the level 45 — although in term of power it was definitely stronger than the level 60. Kabal had found him after weeks of farming and had chosen "Spyro" for his name in honor to a timeworn game.

As soon as the creature emerged along with the various effect from the summoning, Kabal felt a deep bond with the creature and knew instantly that it would do everything he commanded it to do. He was pleasantly surprised by the fact that he actually used magic without an interface, but the familiar view of his pet settled his convictions.

"Woah, it actually worked."

He couldn't help but laugh out of relief — he was now confident that he could guarantee his security if this world only had critters like the bear from before. Yet, there was still one question flowing through his mind — what would happen if he died ?

The more he was thinking about it, the more it seemed that this world was different than the game. His lack of information, the weird sensations he experienced until now and the bad feeling about the region made him understand he had to be extremely cautious about his actions.

His one and only objective, for now, would be to find a way to survive quickly and collect information quietly.

Therefore, his first action was the most obvious thing he could do. He intended to equip himself with the best gear in his possession.

He elevated his hand approximately to where the inventory panel was supposed to be and swept his hand to the side. As he did that, a curious hole appeared, and he dove his hand in.

If you looked closely, you could see that it was filled with a myriad of objects that had peerless beauty alongside a big glowing bag.

Entirely satisfied with what he just saw, because it meant that all his items were still here and in a perfect state, he withdrew one by one the usual gear he spent so much time farming and equipped them. All of them were divine class and, as a member of a Mercenary Guild, he was proud of this feat — he had spent his life on the game to try and get only one of those gear only to repeat the process several times to complete his set.

Each element of his armor was awe-inspiring and carefully designed. He showcased a light barbute who covered his head alongside with a ponytail attached to the back. It was visorless, but you could hardly see his mouth or his eyes.

With this, he displayed tight stylized pauldrons on his shoulders, all pitched in dark gray, completed with a plate cuirass that had Nordic symbols carved in. His gauntlets covered his forearms and stopped right at his forehands, which were protected by brown gloves.

In addition to his body plate, he wore a metal belt, shaped in V, with a large round piece of precious metal in the center. His belt was completed with well-adjusted black and copper faulds, and an ample red fabric descended in the middle down to his knee. He didn't equip cuisse that would have been too heavy but instead wore a luxurious brown leather pant who covered his thigh.

Finally, he carried sturdy greaves and consolidated sabatons who offered a great defense with minimum weight — one could tell immediately that his equipment permitted a great agility while keeping an impervious defense.

With this, he held Gungnir, the guild weapon. It was a supremely high-quality spear that he and his guildmates created.

Initially, the guild debated for a long time to seek who would be the one honored to wear the guild symbol, but after discussion, they decided to give it to the guild master — Kabal.

The reason behind this choice was because they knew it was more of a decoration than a real equipment — the destruction of a guild weapon meant its disbandment and, as such, they were typically kept in hidden places without being used.

As soon as he finished equipping his gear, Kabal took a pose and shouted as to evacuate all the frustration and fear from earlier. He thought that the opportunity to see his character again would never come again — after all, YGGDRASIL was supposed to close down, and he should never have been transported to this world.

Due to this familiar sight, he couldn't help but to act on the moment and yell out of relief.

"HELL YEAH !"

As he uttered those words, his sudden excitement vanished — he knew it was dumb to react like this, but he also calmed because there was one more thing to do.

In the game, he always had the NPC he created following him around. She was the twelfth custom NPCs of the Guild and had the special status "[Companion]", which meant she could leave the guild headquarter even though she was much weaker when outside. It was greatly helping him and thanks to that, he could even complete a lower 5-man dungeon with some determination and time.

He knew that Ester, if she existed, should be guarding the guild's basement, but there was no way for him to teleport to her. Furthermore, he wasn't even sure that his guild existed anymore —

Instead, he took a small item from his inventory.

It was a permanent trinket called the [Friend Calling Horn] whose power consisted of summoning a chosen NPC from the guild — with a 12-hour cooldown. Observing the carvings on the wood, Kabal carried the horn to his mouth and blew it while thinking of invoking Ester.

As a result, a figure gradually formed in front of him along with countless sparkling effect, and, when the invocation came to its end, he found himself in front of a beautiful she-elf who instantly bowed down in reverence.

In a single glance, you could say she was terrifically dangerous even though she showed gentleness.

She was young in appearance, but her face was devoid of fatigue and betrayed a great wisdom. Her gaze seemed to penetrate into your soul, and you'd be tempted to think twice before staring at her pink eyes because of fear of having your mind entirely read. She truly was an incarnation of beauty — a dangerous beauty.

"I come as you command Kabal-sama."

Cold sweat went his back. Kabal instantly regretted his action.

He had concluded that it was dangerous to make assumptions on how this world was working, yet that is precisely what he just did. He had assumed that the NPC would act the same way they did in the game and thus, that they would be lifeless puppets.

He was potentially in a very perilous situation right now because he did not know how the NPC would react and trusted that he had no chance to win a fight against Ester.

"Forgive me but did I do something wrong, Supreme One ?"

Ester was showing sincere concern and bowed her head even deeper in respect as if she did something unacceptable. Kabal felt it was his fault for troubling the beauty that was in front of him and apologized at once.

"N— No. Sorry. You did nothing wrong."

Even more now that she had lively expressions and movements, he found Ester to be really attractive — he knew that he designed her to look like this, but seeing her doing such delicate, realistic movement reanimated his feelings.

"There is no need for you to worry about me or to apologize, Kabal-sama. I am but a mere tool for your greatness. I must ask forgiveness for my arrogant question but may I ask what is troubling you ? Is this new world the cause of my presence here ?"

Kabal suddenly panicked at the thought that she could be reading his mind. She had guessed quickly that he was on his guard as well as his current situation. In astonishment, he let out a sentence spurt out of his mouth.

"How do you know ?"

Ester took that question for a test of her loyalty.

She had asked a question without being authorized to do so and had been peeking at the situation without her master consent. On her point of view, it was only normal that she would be doubted by now.

"Forgive my rudeness Kabal-sama. I indeed looked past your figure and took a glimpse at the environment. We've been in many worlds, and we've seen many things, but I am unfamiliar with the situation we're actually in. It seems that this is an entirely new place that I do not know."

She was talking with such confidence in her words that it was terrific.

"Usually, I have a feeling that tells me exactly where I am located compared to the Lost Shrine of Erebus — it serves me to use the [Teleportation] spell. But in this world, I have no idea of the location of the guild headquarter. It feels like it is shrouded in an impenetrable fog.

Furthermore, I couldn't help but notice the presence of the legendary weapon that only you may wield, Kabal-sama. Combined with the fact that you, unlike the ordinary, summoned me at my full power, I deduced that there could only be one meaning : an unknown situation."

 _She guessed that much out of a single glance ?!_

His lower jaw was slightly displaced out of astonishment and fear. Kabal had sensed that Ester was considering him like some sort of god, but now, he was in the same way certain that he could not fulfill her expectations.

He feared her reaction when she would discover that he was just a mere human. The living in front of him was just on a whole new level — he could not imagine himself outsmarting her, even in his wildest dream. With little information, she just showed a reflexion that would have taken him a considerable time to understand, and with even bigger hints. It made him feel like he could never hope to reach that level of deduction.

For now, it was better to act natural and collect information, at least that was what he concluded. He had two goals : get a better idea of Ester personality and what she wanted to make sure she would not turn against him as soon as he would make a glaring mistake.

Furthermore, it seemed like she knew him for a long time when he was just seeing her for the first time. It was embarrassing to let her bow her head like this for so long — playing the role of the leader was probably the best course of action.

"Umu... You may raise your head... You are right. It seems that we're in a new world which differ from YGGDRASIL. We can't possibly know what lies ahead and as such we have to prepare ourselves for the unexpected. That is the reason that pushed me to call you here, I want you to follow and protect me."

 _... Was it good ? Does she at least know what Yggdrasil is ?_

Ester was intently watching him with stars in her eyes. It seemed that she drank every word he said as if it was uttered by her idol and was shivering out of excitement.

"Then I shall obey without fail and protect you with my life if necessary. I am truly honored to be chosen to explore this unknown land with you, Kabal-sama."

She seemed to be about to burst as she said these words, but Kabal couldn't make a remark about it — he was too afraid of the consequences. Instead, he just articulated his order with his mind alert.

"Uhh... Let's follow the river."

He began walking clumsily along the river when Ester suddenly exclaimed what she had been holding until now.

"Ah ! Forgive me, but I can't hold it anymore... Please allow me to take a look at the region, I beg you to give me this favor ! There is so much that I do not know, I have to list everything before we leave or I risk forgetting. I'm sure it could serve a purpose later !"

Kabal turned to her with round eyes. It wasn't like she had to ask his permission to do anything.

"Eehhh ? Uhm.. Sure go ahead."

"Thank you, Kabal-sama !"

 _And I feared she would burst out in laugh… I feel dumb now._

As Ester was running here and there, ecstatic at the sight of so much knowledge, Kabal couldn't help but observe her weird behavior.

The elf was uprooting plants, eventually using a spell on them and expressed her delight every time she found something new. Seeing from afar, the scene was quite comical and you could be tempted to laugh out of the way Ester was acting — but it was in the same way warming, like a child playing an odd game.

After a long moment, Kabal couldn't help but to think of a topic to discuss — he could let her do what she wanted but he hated the awkward silence reigning between them.

"Umu... You said you were summoned at full power, may I ask you what you meant by that ?"

Kabal felt he shouldn't be asking that question because he should be knowing the answer. Still, it was a piece of information he needed, because if she was stronger than in the game, he had to prepare himself.

Ester turned to Kabal with a weird purple flower in her hand, demonstrating an uneasy look.

"I am not sure if I can answer correctly. When we traveled the world, I used to be at a fraction of my real power, and it was only given back to me when I was to defend my given floor. This time, my ability are not restrained, and I am most likely at the same level as when I am in Erebus. But perhaps I am mistaken, and this is my restrained power too."

Kabal felt he was right to ask that question —

[Companion] NPC were supposed to be much weaker when outside to regulate the balance of power. If she was telling the truth, he just summoned a fully competent Guardian.

— It meant that she now had better stats and a lot more HP.

The guild's custom NPCs had more power than the players because their behavior was predictable and weak — if they couldn't match the player in performance, they would in strength. That was why Companion NPCs had a debuff to make them more vulnerable outside — and it seemed that Ester had lost this weakness in this world. As such, if she used the artificial intelligence that Kabal gave her, she was literally unbeatable right now.

— The inner programmer inside Kabal had coded a particular algorithm for her behavior, which made her a lot stronger than a usual NPC. The primary goal of his algorithm was to implement an automatic "learning" capacity — not only did the NPC artificial intelligence learned by itself, but it would also record and reuse everything it experienced. For instance, it had in memory all the items, equipment and playstyle of the player it encountered and would use those data to build up specific behaviors depending on the situation — using probability laws and complex calculations.

Following this idea, he was curious to know if the electronic data he implemented in her were influencing something or even existed.

"Sorry for asking, but may I know what would you do in such a situation ?"

 _That's a bit bold… I hope it will work._

"I hope I will not bore you with my incompetence... In the immediate, I think we should search for a place to establish your bastion because we can't get back to Erebus. We also lack information about this place, I do not doubt your supremacy, but it could make you lose your precious time if we wander unaware. I suggest to send a dispensable invocation to scout ahead and evaluate the local wildlife. I guess that was what you intended to do with this Phoenix if I'm not mistaken ?"

Ester harbored a large smile as she was talking.

"At last, if there are intelligent lifeforms in this world, I doubt they would comprehend your might even if I were to explain to them. Instead, I would suggest to slowly take them as subordinates if they're worthy of the title. There is no doubt that they will bow to you when they will understand the authority of a Supreme Being. In case they do try to fight you, rest assured that none shall survive your wrath."

Kabal was left dumbfounded at these declarations, letting slip a rictus that betrayed his emotions. He had intended to find a residence, but it was more an idea of survival than conquering.

She had a good point with sending a scout — plus he had totally forgotten his mascot following him — but openly reveal himself ? He was not sure that he could keep up with the basic monsters of this world. In the worse case scenario, everything in this world was level 100 or over and had been perfecting their skills for far more time than he did — he could not possibly let himself be killed because of this kind of stupidity.

"... I would like you to discard such shallow thinking and remember that someone who is stronger than both of us could appear at any time. As such, I trust that we should be sneaking around until we're absolutely sure that we risk nothing revealing ourselves. If we encounter a monster, just follow the basic strategy and stay hidden. Don't forget that you're here to cover our retreat."

He said those words in a harsh manner, one that permits no answer. He did not intend to do so at first, but it was probably the only time that he could lecture Ester on her thinking, that is why he addressed her in this manner — as to convince himself that he was the one in command.

"Understood, Kabal-sama. As expected, you truly are incredible. I bow once again before your superior wisdom, I will try my best to memorize those wise words."

 _It wasn't as if I just said something valuable… Did she understood something else or is she just blindly following me ?_

"May I ask you why do you serve me ?"

 _Just why would I ask her this question ! It's dumb as hell !_

"You are the one that rules over Erebus and all the Guardians. You created me, but you are also responsible for the rest of us. That is only obvious that I, your creation, should be serving you."

She had answered instantly with no delay as if she had prepared her text before. Even if Kabal understood that Ester was greatly estimating him, it was a shock to hear the praise that she destined at him — and he could not help himself but lessen the words she just uttered.

"You know, I've been bestowed upon this position because I found the name of the guild… There was a running joke among us, we used to say that the hardest part of the game wasn't to play it but to find the name of your avatar. That's why when I found a fitting name for the guild, they decided to let me create and manage it. I don't think I'm that great."

"I see.. so that's what's going on. Forgive me for not understanding earlier, I will be more careful now."

As he heard those few words, he froze instantly. He felt like he had made a blatant mistake, and thought that it was the time where it would be decided whether Ester would remain loyal or where she would lose all faith in him.

… _? What did she understand ?_

Now that he was looking back to what he said, he understood what had gone wrong.

He had expressed the fact that he could be in his position due to something else than his leadership skills, it was potentially dreadful in this situation with Ester that thought of him as a "Supreme One".

"I— It doesn't surprise you ?"

"You are the last remaining entity to whom we can pledge our loyalty ! Even if you're just here to play a game in a lesser avatar, my role does not change, and I'll serve you until my death, Kabal-sama. We were created to be loyal to the Supreme Beings. If we lose the last one remaining, what reason are there for us to exist ? If you decide to stay here to entertain yourself, we, the Guardians, will do everything we can so you never get bored. That is our absolute reason of living."

He relaxed at her words and let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that even if he made mistakes, she seemed so indoctrinated that it would be hard to make her believe he was a weak human.

 _It seems that she thinks I am currently playing, as if I was still in the game… Well, why not ? But she will have to understand we are not almighty..._

"Good... Then let's proceed to explore the region, I think you had enough time to do your things."

"Yes, Kabal-sama."

After making a gesture to order his phoenix, Kabal didn't engage in a new conversation because he believed that it was better not to embarrass himself any further. Instead, he preferred to ponder the course of action he should be taking in the future and deeply sunk into his thoughts.

 **Part 2**

After an hour of walking silently, Ester suddenly stopped and casually reported what she was seeing.

"There is a group of orcs with a troll ahead of us."

Even if it surprised him, Kabal knew what to do. He had been thinking of many scenarios during their walk, and he was happy that this situation was one of them.

If they were players like him, he wanted to regroup with them. It was logical to try and search for people that were in the same situation and get along together. For that reason, he wanted to approach the orcs and talk to them before trying anything else.

If they were aggressive monsters, it would be a great opportunity to experiment their level as well as his own, and in case the fight would take a bad turn, he had prepared a backup plan.

He could not use his divination spell to get information on them because he only possessed low tier abilities that would have been instantly spotted by most livings — they would think of an aggression and would directly attack him without the possibility of diplomacy.

Thus, he had concluded that the best approach was to buff himself with his best defensive abilities and try a friendly approach — in the worst case, he would unleash the best attack of his weapon and run away if they still lived after.

"I'll go and talk to them. I should have a good affinity with orcs, but if they attack me, I will use Gungnir unique ability. Use your [Guardian Angel] spell to protect me and cleanse all the debuff they could have cast on me — if they somehow survive after this. I will teleport out of the fight as soon as possible."

Ester had a questioning look on her face.

"Kabal-sama, I may overstep myself, but don't you think it would be better to allow me to deal with it myself ? I am fully aware that your orders are to be respected above anything else; however, it is a Guardian's job to prevent you from being placed in danger. If you get hurt, I will have failed my purpose."

Kabal didn't need to prepare himself to find a counter-argument, what he was going to say was obvious in YGGDRASIL and he believed that it would remain the same in this world.

"As a Divine Caster, your role is to support and survive. I can not possibly imagine a situation where it would be smart to send you first in line — even as a bait. Furthermore, you are not hiding for nothing, I want you to look if they are other hidden enemies in the surrounding area. I am in no danger, I trust your abilities and apart from World Items, there is nothing that can one shot me."

Kabal made a grimace about the last sentence.

"...I understand. I will trust in your wisdom and do as you command, but let me use defensive spells on you."

"Do as you wish."

After casting several buffs on himself and letting Ester add boosting spells such as [Blessings], [Increase Agility] and [Magnificat], Kabal firmly gripped his spear and approached the group of orcs.

Oddly, he wasn't afraid but excited.

In his heart, Kabal unconsciously felt like he was experiencing new content from a game, and thus he was taking unnecessary risks that he would never have thought of in normal time — if he had to die, he would die and screw it, that was the weird logic behind his strange behavior.

Thirteen orcs formed a tight formation — as if they were searching for something. They had their weapons at their hand, ready to attack anything, and were on the lookout. In front of the formation was a troll in heavy armor — but it was evident that his presence served to frighten eventual opponents more than for his pure strength.

"Hello ! May I ask you if you're from YGGDRASIL ?"

The orcs got surprised by Kabal sudden apparition because he had approached them with the [Silent Step] spell that he had cast earlier. Most of them pulled their shields up and waited for their commander.

An orc with paint all over his face took the first step and shouted with anger.

"You are quite arrogant human ! How can you think that someone from your race have the right to talk to us ! Prepare to die !"

A bit overwhelmed by the sudden hate that the orcs threw at him, Kabal took his spear with haste and prepared his attack. The troll was first in line while the orcs followed him behind — their commander's shout out was the sign to launch the attack. Consequently, they issued a battle cry and rushed in Kabal direction with their weapons raised up.

But — they had no time to react. Everything went at a speed they could not possibly comprehend.

— Kabal himself did not realize that he moved so fast. It was as if time moved slower for everyone in the surrounding while he had moved freely.

In a fraction of a second, he had taken his spear in two hands, jumped right into the troll and unleashed the fury of his most powerful attack.

"[Odin's Wrath]."

An immense navy blue light went striking the troll, killing him and the orcs at once.

The bottomless power of the ability went digging an enormous hole in the ground and caused pure energy lightning to struck down the already carbonized orcs. With the large crackling sounds caused by the attack followed a devastating earthquake and an immense shockwave who uprooted the nearby trees. There was nothing left around the point of impact, and an impervious shield of plasma was slowly forming around Kabal.

Usually, the ability was supposed to be channeled until it would release the final thunderbolt supernova after 10 seconds, but Kabal just thought of something — the possibility of friendly fire in this world. As a result, he instinctively canceled his attack, apologizing at once to Ester.

"Forgive me ! Are you hurt ?"

But the answer he got from Ester was nothing he expected. As the immense power gradually faded away, she seemed delighted and excited by what she had experienced.

"To think that I would one day be granted to witness Kabal-sama's ultimate ability ! That is the best honor you can do to me ! The pain endured is nothing compared to this. You have nothing to apologize for ~ "

She was humming in excitement and wouldn't care the least for her pain.

Kabal wasn't sure on how to respond to this. She seemed to have taken damage, but she was reacting as if it was nothing. Should he just let it be ? Should it be his role to care about her health ?

But as he was about to make sure she was alright, Kabal detected smoke in the distance. He was only seeing it now because the area got cleared thanks to his attack — the sky could be seen distinctly. He couldn't help but make a remark about it before asking Ester for her health.

"There is smoke over there. Does it mean there could be... a village ?"

He had asked this question rhetorically, but Ester took it to heart and answered with a serious look.

"Likely, the smoke seem to come from burning buildings. I would say that the inferior lifeforms that dared to oppose you just now were a scouting party destined to intercept the fleeing remnants of their plunder. I think we can safely assess that this force was supposed to deal with the most powerful opponent that they could encounter. Since you killed them with such ease, I trust that I can take care of the rest of their raiding group."

This situation wasn't something that Kabal could have thought of. As such, he had more faith in her judgment than his own and decided to follow her analysis.

"Then let's see what happened. If we can save the people living here by killing the rest of the orcs, they could be owing us a favor."

 _Let's just hope they're not as aggressive as these orcs..._

With uncertainty, Kabal took the lead and headed toward the smoke.

He couldn't help but to ponder the fact that he just killed livings but felt as if it was a trivial matter. It wasn't as if he was excited — he just felt like he had finished a chore. Shrugging his shoulders, he concentrated on the smoke instead of thinking any further.

 _Perhaps I'm thinking too much… Let's just see what is this smoke._


	3. Chapter 2 - The city of Tomes

**Chapter 2 - The city of Tomes**

* * *

 **Author's words**

Wow, this is the longest chapter I've done until now. Next one will definitively be shorter, but it will set the scene for the main storyline. I don't know if I did better than the last chapter, but I hope it will still entertain you. If you find mistakes, please let me know. I am not a native speaker and, sometimes, I have no idea if what I'm writing is coherent or not in English. That is why I would be glad to receive your feedbacks, doesn't matter if they're heinous.

— Sasugasm

* * *

 **Part 1**

After almost half an hour of walking, Ester and Kabal could now see the origin of the smoke — it came from a human city standing close by a lake.

Citizens were surging from the entrance with their family, transporting everything they could in big linen bags or wooden carts. Some were using horses or donkeys to pull their belongings — wealthy people or nobles for most of them. Yet, it was clear that a majority of the fugitives were poor or servants of the fleeing lords.

Their eyes, as well as the ambient sounds, betrayed the panic in which they all were. Cries could be heard all along the long lines formed by their precipitate departure and the kids — usually so noisy and full of energy — remained silent. All Kabal could see was a crowd full of agitation and citizens hurrying to leave their home.

The city stood behind this scene.

Dark smoke emanated from the right side and many buildings had fallen into ruin due to the fire which, for some part, still burned brightly. But in spite of the apparent defeat, the imposing stone walls still conveyed the feel of an unconquerable fortress — you could ask yourself what kind of army had breached this perfect defense.

At this sight, Ester was the first to react, she had a vivid look and seemed genuinely interested in the fleeing citizen.

"Incredible ! You could expect no more from an unknown world . There is so much to learn in this city, aah, I'm getting excited. This town must have roughly 10000 inhabitants — maybe less ? Do they have books about their knowledge ? Mhh— I should probably capture some of them."

The elf noticed that she had let herself get carried away and quickly apologized to Kabal :

"Ah— forgive me for my unacceptable behavior, Kabal-sama. I have no excuses to explain my conduct. I can only accept my punishment to redeem myself."

Kabal was a bit embarrassed by the sudden apologize. He didn't feel like she had done anything wrong — in fact, Ester only showed her interests. If it made her happy why would he not let her do what she want ? Like the proverb says, a happy worker is a productive worker.

"You did nothing wrong Ester... Having interests in new knowledge is a good thing, and you shouldn't be afraid to show it. Furthermore, we're here to get information. That is our exact goal to interest ourselves in the people of this city. I will never punish you for this."

"I do not merit such kind words ! We exist only to serve the Supreme Beings. It is natural that we should obey your orders."

Kabal let out a sigh — acting as a ruler was more energy consuming than what he had thought. He constantly had to make decisions, and he doubted that he could go on like that for too long. He had chosen to enter the city, but he was far from convinced about his judgment — uncertain about how the citizens would react at his sight.

"Let's head toward the gate..."

As Ester and Kabal progressed toward the entrance, more and more people stared at them. They were launching hateful, frightened or even questioning look but never tried to engage the two of them. Kabal continued even though he did not like being the center of attention — especially when he was supposed to be discrete. Anxiously, he glanced at Ester as to say _"you know what to do if it goes wrong"_ , and, in response, the delighted elf nodded to show that she had understood.

Approaching the gate, they oddly passed the entrance without being stopped by the two sentinels. Instead, they received a friendly welcome and a warning about the attack that the city had just undergone.

 _Ester was right. Hopefully, the orcs left before we came..._

Kabal still found it odd that the guards didn't pose any questions. He had prepared a lot of answers and excuses to be authorized in the city, but none had served a purpose.

Perhaps they had been scared by his full high-level armor ? He had taken out his helmet because it was impairing his vision, but the rest was nonetheless intimidating.

Shrugging his shoulders, he continued along the road — believing that he was just lucky.

Now that he managed to enter, he could get to the second part of his plan — searching for a place to eat and sleep. He envisaged to ask someone where he could find such things, but he did not spot someone approachable in the vast amount of citizens who seemed to dodge him like the plague.

Instead, he wandered through various streets in his research.

The city was near empty compared to its immense size, but Kabal didn't find it weird considering the recent attack. He was more disturbed by Ester who was following behind, trying to look impassive, but sometimes exposing a rictus betraying disgust or excitement. Everything interested her, but she kept her mouth shut due to the respect she held for her master. Her behavior was unsettling for Kabal because he had no idea on how he should manage it.

Hopefully, after ten minutes of awkwardness spent walking the streets, a seemingly poor citizen finally accosted them when they passed in the market district.

"Can I help you, M'lord ?"

His honeyed tone showed his interest in a reward for his service — exactly what Kabal wanted.

"Erm— We are travelers. We are searching for a place where we can rest and eat."

"A traveler ?... Ah ! You must mean you're from the great south ! I sure know a good inn, the owner is stubborn and wouldn't leave the city — even if orcs would break down in her house, eh. Although I'm not sure if it will be to your taste."

Kabal quickly noted that it was better to say he was from the south — instead of a stranger.

"Anything will be fine, if you can show us the way."

"It will be my pleasure. Follow me !"

Kabal couldn't trust this man, but he followed him anyway. He had felt his incredibly low potential and believed that the citizen couldn't harm him — or at least it would not come from his doing. Out of this conclusion, he followed the poor guy throughout the city market.

Kabal was observing everything he could as they progressed through the different outdoor stores and remarked that he couldn't read any of the shop's signs. Now that he thought of it, it was already weird that he could understand the language of this civilisation.

 _Shouldn't they have a foreign language or something like that ?_

He remembered that he could even talk to the orcs before that. Something was definitely out of the ordinary and Kabal felt that the reason was important — but he decided to ponder these thoughts later.

The poor citizen stopped in front of a large two-storey timber framed building, with a small walled yard and garden. It seemed to be well positioned — adjacent to a guarded warehouse in the market district, and with an air of satisfaction, the man confirmed that this building was the one he described earlier.

"We arrived at destination M'lord. This is the inn I was talking about. The owner is called Pestry. I'm sure she will find you what you want."

The commoner was watching them intently while rubbing his hands, probably waiting for his reward.

 _*sigh* Let's give him something..._

Kabal had thought of the price of low-level items in YGGDRASIL and had come to the conclusion that two golden coins should be enough for such a service. He feared that it would have been insufficient and had doubled what he initially wanted to give — making it four. Taking the gold from his inventory, he gave it to the man with word of thanks :

"Umu… I appreciated your help, take this as a sign of my satisfaction."

The commoner took the gold coins and inspected them with a suspicious look. After what seemed to be an internal struggle, he thanked Kabal and left with his reward — a little bit unsettled.

 _Maybe four gold coins was a bit too much..._

Kabal watched him go, trying to guess the citizen's intention by his expression but could tell nothing else than his confusion. With the man going out of sight Kabal entered the inn without further delay.

A collection of fine tapestries was hanging on the walls, and the innkeeper was cleaning the floor. She stood up as the two of them entered the inn and welcomed them cheerfully.

"Come in ! Make yourself at ease !"

As soon as she saw Ester, the women took a different tone — as if she was afraid. The change in her expression did not escape Kabal's attention, but he did not ask her about it.

"Would you like two separate rooms or just one ? Each contains two beds with woolen mattresses, and I will do my best to suit your taste."

"Just one will be enough, what about the price ?"

"I wouldn't dare ! You don't need to pay anything."

 _This is really weird… I doubt that these people would gladly offer free services to random customers._

Kabal asked himself if these people could recognize players, like Ester identified him as her master earlier. If it was a known phenomenon in this world, the citizens could be considering him as a threat — like a dangerous stranger whose goal is unknown. Depending on the answer, he risked getting in trouble. No— He was confident that it would cause him disfavors.

But for now, he fainted ignorance and pursued his affairs — he couldn't afford to show that he was suspicious if he wanted to guess the women's intent.

"Fine then, it will be one room for both of us. I am hungry, do you serve breakfast ?"

"Of course ! Let me prepare it for you. Should I make one for your slave too ?"

… _My slave_ _? Is she talking about Ester ?_

Kabal was a bit shocked to hear this. He did not have the impression of abusing the elf. Perhaps was he actually mistreating her without knowing ? He wondered if the citizens falsely detected signs of ill-treatment due to their customs — or was it because elves were usually taken as slaves ?

In any way, he had to clear up the misunderstanding — and make sure he wasn't acting with contempt toward Ester.

"If you are talking about my companion over here, I will ask you not to insult her. Does it look like I am mistreating her ?"

He just thought of another possibility —

Could humans be at war against elves, as they are against orcs ? It would explain the reactions from the citizens because bringing an enemy in the city would undoubtedly be viewed as hostile.

 _Crap... Why didn't I thought of this before ! If these people hate elves, I am definitely in trouble._

Kabal watched closely to observe the reaction from both Ester and the innkeeper. One seemed delighted to be called his companion while the other was panicking and stammered in a low voice :

"I— I'm so confused ! I did not want to insult your partner, p— please accept my apologies ! I'm sure I can make up for my mistake if you allow it... Forgive me, my lord."

Kabal could only look at the innkeeper with doubtful eyes — it was abnormal. While he understood that Ester would be willingly exaggerating on her mistakes, why would a random citizen do the same ? There was definitely something he missed…

"Well… As long as you understand."

"Thank you, my lord ! I promise that I won't disappoint you. I won't make you wait any longer, I'm off preparing your meal. You can sit wherever you like."

Kabal wondered if the citizens exaggerated their reactions to keep him in control while setting up a way to deal with him. It would be a common strategy — to prepare the ground and overwhelm the opponent with a bigger advantage — and he couldn't help but think there was an intellect behind the weird behaviors of the citizens.

Preparing himself for this eventuality, he quickly whispered to Ester when the women left the room.

— _**_ Stay on your guard, the owner is acting strangely. She may be hiding something. _**_

— **Should I force her to talk ?**

 _What the hell is up with this way of thinking. No — just no !_

— **Don't do anything stupid. We are just here to observe.**

— **Understood, Kabal-sama**

The two of them sat on the first table they encountered and patiently waited for their meal. It was still early in the morning, and Kabal had not yet eaten anything; even though he wondered if it had any sense in a video game.

While patiently waiting for his breakfast, he thought of an idea. Could [Message] work to contact people from YGGDRASIL ? —

Following this idea, he first tried a GM request…

— which failed.

 _How surprising._

He then tried to contact his friend list, calling them one by one, although none resulted in a success. Even if he had guessed that he would be alone in this world, it made him a bit sad to actually be faced with this reality — he still had a faint hope that he wasn't the only player in the world.

Ester was watching Kabal with a questioned look as the latter went through all this scene. In response to her worry, he couldn't help but jokingly try an experiment.

"[Message]."

— It connected.

"What is it, Kabal-sama ?"

Kabal heard the voice twice, echoing from two sources at the same time — one from Ester mouth, the other directly from his mind.

…

 _I thought [Message] could only be used to communicate with players ?_

He just discovered a valuable piece of information that would undoubtedly serve him, but now, he had to explain his weird behavior to Ester. He terminated the [Message] spell and quickly thought of a reason.

"Uhh... I was just trying to see if I could still use [Message] to communicate with the others… It's for… uhh… I want to try to contact the other guardians."

"I see... So we can locate Erebus this way."

… _Eh, that's actually not a bad idea._

Proud to come up with this response so quickly, Kabal attempted to use the [Message] spell once again. This time, he tried to contact the first NPC which came to his mind. His first thought was for Equinox — an enchantress of the fairy race whose utility resided in supportive spells which could be cast on anything, including weapons and armors.

"[Message]."

— The cast immediately terminated, implying that it failed.

 _Does it mean that Equinox doesn't exist in this world ?_

He had thought of this possibility, but he wished to be wrong. Since this world was obviously obeying to different rules, he hoped that the reason for this failure was a bit different — Ester had mentioned that Erebus was "shrouded in an impenetrable fog" and Kabal believed this was the cause of the spell's failure.

Deep inside, he hoped that the [Friend Calling Horn] would work to summon the others like he did for Ester. If it failed, he would surely find another way to gather them because he couldn't pass on their loyalty. To survive in this world, they would become a not negligible ace.

"I suspected it... I will have to summon the others like I did it for you."

Ester was showing concern as she understood the situation. She enquired about her worry, intently watching her master.

"Is it, by chance, linked to this world ?"

"I don't know… But probably."

As Kabal finished his sentence, Ester took a different expression. She suddenly demonstrated a look of pure hatred and rage — which was obviously not destined for him.

"I do not know the details, but if someone is responsible for the isolation of Erebus, I promise that I will do my best to find the enemies and smash their arrogant opposition."

He felt a bit warm and couldn't help but look pleased with this declaration. No one was responsible for his situation, at least that was what he thought — yet, hearing Ester make such statement made him happy. She was clearly infuriated for his sake — and due to what he believed to be a trivial matter. It was rather unusual for Kabal to get such support, making him take a genuine smile.

Not long after this, the innkeeper, Pestry, came with the breakfast.

"Forgive me for the waiting."

She walked toward the table Kabal had chosen and put a pitcher of wine in front of Ester, followed by rather fine cutleries and plates — those were without a doubt of high quality. To complete it, a fruit basket and roast fowl was positioned in the center, served in a painted pottery. She also carried a salt cellar filled with a ridiculous amount of small white grains and gave to the both of them a bowl of light soup with a loaf of bread.

"I hope you enjoy your meal. I stay at your service if you need anything else."

"Thank you."

As soon as Pestry left the room to carry on other tasks, Kabal looked at the food with an uneasy look.

 _I didn't expect a full lunch to be served. What I'm gonna do with all that food ?_

He had thought she would give him a bread or cereals to eat — a light meal at least. Kabal knew he shouldn't expect to eat the same things as the modern world, but he was still a bit unsettled by the nature and the quantity of the meal.

He looked at the soup with a doubtful look. Out of curiosity, he filled his spoon with a mouthful of the liquid and brought it to his mouth — but as he was about to try a sip, Ester interrupted him.

"Should I remove the [Ring of Sustenance] ?"

… _Oh ?_

Kabal glanced at her with round eyes.

He should have thought of that earlier, but now it was plainly evident — he wouldn't need to eat or sleep if he carried the [Ring of Sustenance]. This ability was an incredibly useful asset in this world, and he would assuredly use it without restraint. But, for now, it was too late to equip the ring considering that he just ordered a meal — he would just eat this time and carry it in the future.

"Do as you wish, but by courtesy for our host, we should at least eat what we were served. I believe it would be seen as insulting not to finish our plate."

With Ester nodding, he started to eat with an air of dissatisfaction at the weird texture in his mouth.

The meal was consequent, and as such, it took them quite a while to finish it — perfect for Kabal to reflect on what he learned. For the entire time, he didn't engage in a new conversation and thought of the reasons that would push citizens to act like this in his presence.

* * *

 **Part 2**

 _Uuuh… I've eaten too much._

Finishing his bread, Kabal relaxed in his had found the breakfast to be quite dull, not to say that he forced himself to take every bite. However, the meat had tasted way better than he could have ever imagined — making him want to come back and eat some again.

Having finished to eat, he could now carry on to the next part of his plan.

Since eating and sleeping was a trivial matter now that he had the ring, he could concentrate on collecting intel. His lack of information was most likely the only danger that could kill him right now — especially after seeing the weird reactions from the citizens. A dangerous threat could appear any moment, one which could have been avoided if he had basic knowledge of this world — that was, of course, if he wasn't already targeted.

 _Aaaah ! I'm thinking too much._

Exhausted to think of the best option, Kabal decided to be careless and head to the market. He wanted to relax a bit and couldn't find any better option than to make a bit of tourism. It was a new world after all, and Kabal was excited at the thought of the unknown. He wanted to explore the region and find new monsters, he wanted to see how far he could go and what he could do. Determined, he turned to the elf and exclaimed his intention.

"Ester, we're going out. Can I ask you to cover your ears ? People are reacting strangely when they see you, and I don't want to end into trouble."

To Kabal's relief, she seemed to understand the underlying reason behind this demand and took action reverently.

"I will do as you wish, Kabal-sama"

In a beautiful way, the she-elf prepared herself to cast a spell.

As she began, Kabal watched her with panicking eyes and stood up to refrain her from using such techniques — using magic in a city could be seen as an act of aggression, and he would not allow her to do something so stupid.

But before he could stop her, he recognized the magic she was using — plus she was acting in such way that it was practically impossible to spot.

It seemed that she understood the situation very clearly and had cast a renowned spell that was almost impossible to detect — although very easy to break. It was a high-level illusion, used — in this case — to make her ears seem ordinary to the sight of others. Kabal would not have thought of a better choice in this situation and smiled out of relief to have a talented partner following him.

"Let's go."

Ester followed him silently to the exist. But as the elf passed the door, she launched a terrific glance at the inside. If one were in the inn, he would clearly have felt the immense killing intent she just threw his way — it was so condensed that it would have killed a weakling right on the action.

As natural as possible, she quickly returned to her usual look when Kabal informed her of their destination.

"I want to go to the market district. There is something I want to see over there. I hope I am not rude by making you follow me like that and asking you to cover your ears..."

Ester smiled to him with gentleness.

"Of course not, that is my pleasure to fulfill the expectations of the Supreme Ones."

With this matter settled, they retraced their steps to an outdoor store in the market district. This time, they did not catch the attention as they wandered the streets, apart from few comments about Kabal's full armor.

 _Does it mean that Ester was the cause for their commotion ? What a pain..._

Arriving in front of the large stand, Kabal stopped and observed the items. The shop exposed all sort of things, going from food to carved wood animals or even clothes. Although they did not have the data crystals which dropped from the monsters of YGGDRASIL — which seemed odd to Kabal. A seemingly rare sword had still caught his attention when he passed by an hour ago, being the reason of his visit.

He watched the decorated handle — magic seemed to flow from the blade. The potential level of the sword interested him but he wasn't sure that he had the right to touch it. With uncertainty, Kabal addressed the seller.

"Umu... Can I see this sword ?"

The old men had an empty stare but forced himself to look at his new customer with a smile. The merchant instantly recognized a potentially rich client as soon as his glance went past Kabal's armor — and he took a delicate tone in consequence.

"Ah ! You've got quite the eye. Here, take it ! Do you feel the power emerging from the blade ? It is imbued with magic."

The shop owner handed the sword to Kabal who took it with a firm grip.

As soon as he touched the sword, he felt a faint power emerging from his hand. He recognized the magic at once, as if he had always known which sword he was holding. It was a bit different than the interface from YGGDRASIL, but he quickly understood how it worked.

 _Piercing effect mhh ? Around level 25 based on its power. Quite shitty._

"How many for the sword ?"

"I know for sure that the blade is ancient, 200 years at least. It belonged to a great knight who named it Ulfberht, from what I've heard."

He pointed at some symbols that were carved into the sword.

"The sword in itself is holding a great story, you can see it from its scratches and the runes over here, plus it is carrying magic. I doubt you'll find a better sword and that's why I will not go below 500 golden coins. "

The old man stared at his customer with a look who clearly implied that he was proud to own such an item. But, in its turn, Kabal was a bit skeptical.

 _This sword is supposed to be high quality ? He even gave me its name. Is he trying to scam me ?_

Even if Kabal just learned that 500 golden coins were a high cost for these people, he couldn't believe that a low-level sword would be sold at that price. In YGGDRASIL, the sword would have sold for 30 gold coins at most and anyone coming from the DMMO-RPG would have not believed the merchant.

As such, Kabal thought of a way to clear up the real intent of this lie.

An idea crossed his mind, and he felt it was perfect to unsettle the merchant — and eventually see if he was lying. To the astonishment of both the old man and Ester, Kabal pulled up a trinket from his inventory and presented it to the shopkeeper.

"How much should I pay on top of this to get the sword."

The merchant looked at the odd talisman with expert eyes.

"I see that this is a magic item… What is it ?"

"It's a charm that anyone can use. It allows you to use a tier 4 explosion spell every hour or so. Considering the power output, I am relatively confident that this is ten times stronger than this sword."

Kabal's smug eyes met those of the merchant, who looked like he couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Don't make fun of me, magic of the 3rd tier is already considered elite. To say that you own such a treasure, I can not simply believe you..."

Kabal couldn't help but snort at this surprising answer.

 _3rd tier spell ? Elite ? I feel like this is a joke._

"Ah.. Sorry. There is no lie in my statement. I would gladly demonstrate it right in front of you, but I am not sure the guards would appreciate. Do you know someone who can appraise it for me ? It would settle down the matter."

"There is no need to go that far ! I believe you. Still… 4th tier magic. It's hard to imagine. I am afraid that I will have to decline the offer."

 _Hard to believe ? It's harder to believe that this worthless item is considered a treasure._

"I understand. I guess this is my fault to offer such an unfair exchange. I would have doubted myself and refused the deal too. To be honest, I was interested in the story of the sword more than its abilities."

"I don't want trouble, but if you have golds, I will be glad to give it to you."

Kabal was reluctant to give the merchant his money. If he guessed correctly, it was potentially a huge amount to pay, and it was common sense not to show his wealth to avoid thieves.

"I haven't got any money on me. I was hoping to trade it for the trinket but I don't have any other solution to offer. I won't cause you any more trouble, thank you for letting me see the sword."

"It was my pleasure ! If you ever need, you know where to find me."

Kabal greeted him and departed from the store.

Doubt was still flowing through Kabal's mind — it was too much an act to be true. The old man had probably something else in mind. But he couldn't see that Ester was an elf.

Could it be that he wanted to misinform him ?

 _Am I paranoid ? Anyway, this is becoming exhausting… I have to settle this quickly._

Walking along the road with a pensive face, Kabal suddenly stopped when he felt an odd emotion that he recognized at once. His phoenix had returned from a seemingly long trip — and the beast had entered the range in which Kabal could sense him. Along with his reappearance, a big flow of information went past his master's mind — every single data that the bird had collected were directly transferred to his memory as if Kabal had experienced them himself.

 _I see… It can't be everything. There has to be something else._

The information gathered by his phoenix greatly unsettled him. For a moment, he felt isolated, alone and couldn't help but look down on the road. He even questioned the meaning of his presence in this world as well as his life. He remembered the merchant words in a moment of despair and realized something.

It didn't take him long before he took a decision and, with a new determination, he lifted his head with a plan to advance further.

First, he had to discover if the merchant was lying or not, and the return of his pet gave him a good idea to settle this.

With a smile on his face, he headed to the center of the market while quietly giving orders to his phoenix. Ester who had watched her master go through all these emotions had a terrified expression and couldn't help but ask about the situation.

"Did something happen ?"

Kabal was confident in his plan and instantly answered the question.

"My summoning returned with some information. I came up with some plan to settle down something about this world. I will ask you not to intervene if you are not ordered to."

Ester expression softened as she recovered her usual smile.

"As expected of Kabal-sama. To build up a scheme with so little information, you truly deserve the title of Supreme Being. Rest assured that I will follow your orders as long as I live."

They walked toward a place filled with a considerable amount of citizens and there, they waited —

They were still in the market district, where residents surged from everywhere — even after the orc attack. It was clear that the place was usually overcrowded due to the mess scattered everywhere, but the number of merchants was nonetheless still consequent. Kabal sat on a low stone wall and waited about 5 minutes with Ester standing at his side.

They finally heard an odd sound resembling a gust of wind. Flying at an extraordinary speed in the sky, it was Kabal's phoenix. He was unusually bright and exerted fire from every part of his body.

As the giant bird entered the sight of the city, more and more citizens watched him — frightened — as if they were withstanding a meteorite coming their way. Everyone held their breath waiting for the creature to do something — it was the first time they saw a phoenix but everyone knew from instinct that it was a terrible danger.

The inhabitants were used to face beasts, and it would not overly concern them when such an event would happen. But for the first time of their lives, they were terrified to face this encounter. It was as if they knew their fate if the Phoenix were to attack the city.

And, as the fear gradually raised to the point of panic, Kabal's pet dove into the air at a ludicrous speed — causing a sound shockwave to emanate from the point of acceleration. With horror, the citizens watched the monster land on the market district with a powerful shock — lifting a big cloud of dust.

Civilians ran away in disorder as the phoenix emerged from the thick brown fog. What could they do against this monster ? Their despair was even greater after the recent events. The orcs were gone and they had thought that the worse was in the past, but now, they were faced with an ever more significant threat, as if God wanted them to die.

Kabal's pet began watching his surrounding and, by virtue of his master's order, rose from his full height while flapping his wings. The hot winds formed by this movement could have killed anyone passing in front of him — but there was no one to oppose the phoenix. At the same time, he launched a loud shriek, powerful enough to cause a heavy silence when the monster came back to a normal state.

From a human point of view, the scene could be seen as a maneuver to impress the enemies, or to assert dominance on a newfound territory — but there was no contestant, the phoenix could just freely roam the streets.

The monster tilted his head — anxious to move somewhere else. His orders consisted of simple actions, and he had no idea of what to do next. The link he shared with his master told him that Kabal was observing quietly from his position, and he craved to come back to him — but the order he had was to wait for an opponent.

Hopefully, a clinging sound caught its attention and he instantly turned toward the source.

A man in full armor appeared on the plaza — putting himself in a defensive position as he tried to find a weak spot in the phoenix's defense. He was muscular, resembling one of the gladiators of the ancient Rome except he held a frightened expression that he tried to hide.

"W— What the hell is this ? Is it one of the monsters of legend ?"

The magic weapon that he held in his hand instantly caught Kabal attention — and was apparently recognized by a citizen hidden behind a store.

"It's Bale, from the first adventurer circle ! We are saved !"

With a newfound force, the frightened adventurer couldn't help but react at the sudden faith that the citizen had in him. He could distinctly see two eyes staring at him from the big mass of fire, but they weren't terrifying him anymore. As to confront his fear and build a bit of courage before attacking, he yelled at the form in the shadow with a high-built voice.

"I'm not gonna let a monster impress me !"

The warrior rushed into the monster and, in less of a second, he used five techniques that were unknown to Kabal — making the latter take a surprised expression.

 _What did he just do ? Gosh, I hope Spyro won't die from this._

Complying with the order he was given and reacting to the men techniques, the Phoenix rolled into a ball — forming a compact fire wall. The warrior closed the distance between him and the monster in a second and launched a straight-line swing which crashed into the solid barrier formed by his opponent — resulting in a tremendous shock who propelled the dust away.

With round eye, Bale stepped back and held his burned hand with a small screech.

"Guh ! … That's all I could do ? What kind of power am I facing ?"

 _So weak. But that also mean that I won't have trouble surviving._

Having watched the whole scene, Kabal decided to react. He had seen enough and came to the conclusion that the merchant was probably not lying about the sword — Ulfberht was most likely a legendary item for these humans.

Bored by the news, Kabal approached the men with a broad smile and, seeing him drawing near, the adventurer instantly formed a shield out of his body while shouting at him.

"Fall back ! Haven't you seen the power of that monster !"

"You're mistaken. My pet have done nothing wrong. He was just searching for me when you attacked him. He wouldn't attack anyone unless I would tell him to do so."

"...Uh ?"

The man in full armor was left dumbfounded. He lowered his sword in astonishment and stood still watching Kabal — making the latter want to tease him.

"You've never seen a Beastmaster ? I'm sure you know people who fight with their beast."

"If that is true, it is no mere beast you brought up in this city ! Are you crazy ? Who are you anyway ? I've never heard of someone owning a crazy-ass fire bird."

 _Everything is working as intended. Now, if I've got an enemy in this city, he will think I am a beastmaster. And the best part is that I learned how weak they are._

"My name is Kabal. I am just passing by in the city. Forgive me for my pet behavior, he was told not to cause any trouble."

Bale looked at him with a doubtful look.

"Well.. I guess you had no ill intent. But next time, try not to frighten everyone with your uhm… what is it anyway ?"

 _And now I can gain his trust._

"It's a phoenix, the rarest of its race. It has several abilities, but its most powerful consist of reviving when he dies with a fire close to him."

Bale looked behind and saw Ester.

"And who is the beauty following you ?"

"This is Ester. She's an elf but you don't have to worry, she is loyal to me."

 _Now tell me what is the matter with elves._

Bale looked at him with round eyes and bowed down with haste at the declaration.

"I— I am confuse... I did not know you were a royal noble. Please accept my apologies for treating you like that."

 _A royal noble ? …_

Kabal was a bit startled by these words. It explained the reactions everyone had toward him until now, but he couldn't understand why being followed by an elf could be linked to the nobility. He didn't even know how to react to something like that. What was he supposed to say ? That it was a misunderstanding ?

"How rude. If Kabal-sama has to be something, he could not be something so low as a noble. Please refer to him as a Supreme One."

Ester who had remained passive the whole time suddenly addressed Bale in a disgusted manner.

 _Why did she have to aggravate things ! Now he's definitely gonna think I am abusing my power to make her say such things..._

"Forgive me for my ignorance, I am certain you deserve the title."

Kabal thought that the man accepted everything too easily. He just had to tell him that Ester was an elf or that the phoenix was his, and the warrior took his words as the truth. It was weird, and he couldn't help but ask out of curiosity :

"You call me noble when you have never seen my face. Can I ask you what made you come to that conclusion ?"

"I know that we are forbidden to see the face of those close to the king, but I am afraid that having an elf by your side blow your cover away. We all know that only one of the royal nobles, or the king himself, are worthy of the supreme-quality slaves that they represent. I've also heard that you inspire people around you. To be honest, I can't deny the last point. There is no mistake possible, you can only be one of the king close nobles."

 _Interesting. But that hardly explain anything… What if I played along, to see what I can discover._

"I will ask you not to talk to anyone about this. I want to be as discreet as possible."

As soon as Kabal finished his sentence, a whole battalion of armed soldiers entered the plaza and circled the phoenix. The commander who ordered this formation took a step forward as he recognized his friend.

It was a man in the quarantine wearing a luxurious armor and harboring a mustache in "ω". He was on horseback and had half-closed eyes — as if he was jaded of everything.

"Bale ! What are you doing here ! I thought you were in Porthea ?"

"My old friend Golvarn ! You can withdraw your troops, this beast belongs to one of the king relatives. There is no need to worry."

After calling out his troops, Golvarn turned back to Kabal.

"A royal noble here ? Then the situation must be more dire than I thought… Let me present myself, I am Golvarn, the Lord in charge of this city. As you may know, we've been attacked by an army of orcs. It appears they managed to break through Fornost."

The Lord had a desperate look as he explained the situation to Kabal, but you could see a faint glimpse of hatred emanating from his eyes.

"We don't know when they will come back and we haven't got enough manpower to repel them. We need reinforcements quickly if we want to survive. And there is also the matter of the magic disaster…"

The last sentence piqued the curiosity of Kabal.

"The magic disaster ?"

"You don't know ? Well, if you arrived just now, it may be comprehensible... When we were attacked by the orcs, a third party used an unknown spell who devastated an entire grove not far from here. I believe it can't be the orcs doing because they were as surprised as we were."

 _Shit, that was me._

"I see… That's a complicated matter."

There was a vague tension coming from Golvarn as he uttered the next words.

"May I ask you what you are planning to do in this city — if I'm not intrusive ?"

 _Urgh… What should I answer ?_

"Aerm… I can't talk about it, it's secret. Let me just ask you one question, who's the strongest men you know of ?"

It was obvious that Kabal was trying to change the subject because he didn't want to have to justify himself. But apparently, it had a significant impact on Golvarn because the latter suddenly became guarded while answering the question.

"That would be Nayaka, without a doubt. He's the strongest even among the elites."

Kabal pointed at his pet. He had found the perfect way to collect information and could support his hypothesis that the humans of this world were indeed incredibly weak.

"Do you think he could take on this phoenix by itself ?"

Golvarn was a bit bewildered at this question.

"I'm not sure… Bale have fought side by side with the king's son, he may be more suited to answer."

"If I can bring my valuation I would say that, although Nayaka's incredible, I doubt he stands a chance against this beast. I used one my most powerful combo, and I didn't even leave a scratch... But if he carried one of the treasures, that would be another matter."

Kabal's mind reacted when Golvarn mentioned the word "treasure" and instantly guessed that he had to dig deeper into this. Even if he was now relatively certain that even the strongest human was below the level 60, he couldn't assess the same for their items. There was a possibility where they could have a dozen of supreme-quality or World-Class Items. Even if he doubted it, it was better to stay safe.

As he was preparing his next question, he remarked that a heavy tension had grown as they had talked. The two men who had a serious look until now were now looking at him with frowned eyebrows.

 _Did I do something wrong… ?_

Ester had been watching the whole time couldn't help but react at the pressure. She had remained calm until now, but an unrelenting fire was about to be unleashed when she stepped forward with her eyes alert.

"Can I be allowed to talk, Kabal-sama ?"

Kabal instinctively responded in the affirmative.

"Uh... Sure, go ahead."

Ester turned to the noble with a despising look and casually said the words she was craving to say.

"You are as clear as the water. If you think we don't know what you are planning to do, you are mistaken. My master is tolerant, but I doubt he will let this behavior pass if you keep having such thoughts."

 _What ?_

"We are not planning to do anything except if you intend to eliminate the errors that the kingdom created. Even if I grow an animosity toward the royal nobility, I still believe in their skills and hold respect toward their orders."

Ester was showing a wicked smile as she articulated the next sentences.

"Your animosity come from nothing else but jealousy. Your own lack of skill must make it hard for you to get recognized by those who follow you. Could it be the reason who made you inherit an orc city you couldn't defend ?"

… _When did she learn that ?_

Golvarn was clearly enraged by the last words but tried to remain as calm as he could.

"Being defeated is usually of the responsibility of the upper hierarchy. You're playing your own words against you."

"But you were given enough time to turn this into a victory when the orcs left. What have you done in the meantime ? Do you have prisoners ? What about your information network, have you begun to rebuild it ? Perhaps the upper hierarchy was right to put you into a worthless city — you can't even shine when you are given the occasion."

The Lord was shocked at this declaration, implying that Ester stroke a nerve. It was as if Ester knew exactly what Golvarn had done for his whole lifetime and directly pressed on the perfect string to crush him — resulting in the noble to take a saddened look.

"You know that's not the truth. You perfectly know what is wrong, so why are you still serving _them_."

 _What the hell is happening ? Did I miss something ?_

Startled by the conversation who unfolded before him, Kabal finally decided to react. He understood little of what just happened, but one thing was sure, the situation was on the brink to become a fight.

"That's enough. Ester, come back. I'm sorry for my subordinate behavior. You have to understand we are not your enemies. Please accept my apologies on her behalf."

Ester instantly bowed down and went back to her position — behind Kabal.

To gain the trust of the two men standing in front of him, he thought of a way to substantiate himself and stumbled upon an idea. He had heard the word "Fornost" in the conversation from earlier and thought it could be an excellent location to gather information as well as serving as an alibi for his presence.

"I don't want to cause harm to you or this city if that is what is troubling you. I was passing by to get to Fornost and saw smoke coming from here. I just told my pet to roam the sky in search of the attacker and came to help as fast as I could. My job is to take care of the orcs, but since they're gone, I will be glad to heal your wounded."

Bale had his eyes wide open, as if he couldn't believe what he just heard and Golvarn demonstrated an astonished look. The two men seemed to have lost all animosity as the lord bent his head in apologize.

"If that is really your will to help us and go to the frontline, you are kind of unique for a royal noble. Maybe that is why it infuriated the elf so much. I can only be sorry for my behavior. I will chose to believe in your words and help to the best I can. You carry an aura that makes me want to trust you."

The word "aura" triggered something in Kabal's mind.

 _Oh… I haven't thought of that, but could my [Devotion Aura] actually work on these people ? That would explain why they are so prompt to believe what I say._

— [Devotion Aura]

It was a passive learned by most fighter classes. Its activation consisted of substantially increasing the defense and the attack speed of the friendly characters around. But in this world, it appeared it had another effect — making people having the will to devote themselves to its user.

Kabal took a broad smile as he understood that. A brilliant idea came to his mind, and he would definitively put it in place.

"I am glad that you understand my concern, we can still be friends if you want. Can you guide me to your injured so I can heal them ?"

"Sure. But I don't think you will be able to do much, not to doubt your intention."

He addressed the battalion that had been in stand-up until now.

"Stay on your guard and protect the peace of the city ! I have closed this matter — the monster we thought as a threat is a friend — but the orcs can come back at any moment ! Now, scatter and help with the defense !"

Golvarn then turned back to Kabal and his friend.

"Then if you allow me to show you the way. Bale will follow us for your protection, I think you have no objection having a first circle adventurer by your side ?"

Even if he had no idea what it meant, Kabal could easily guess that a "first circle adventurer" was a good rank. He couldn't tell Golvarn that it was pointless to assign him a guard, seeing how weak they were, but he nonetheless accepted the offer.

"Sure. I hope I am not asking too much by letting everything rest on your shoulders. I will do my best to repay you this favor."

"You don't have to, you are the one helping me and not the opposite. Bale, you are okay with that ?"

"I can't refuse a demand if it comes from you, Golvarn."

Kabal nodded to imply he was ready to go and quickly glanced at Ester to see if she was alright — but it seemed it was pointless. She was delighted by what just happened and looked at her master with sparkles in her eyes, as if she was saying "as expected of Kabal-sama".

Kabal looked back at what he had done, and couldn't help but feel uncertain — on contrary to what Ester seemed to think.

 _Did I do well ?_

Wanting it or not, his future was on a trail that could not be stopped now. He believed that he just had to continue forward and slowly but steadily do what was needed to reach his new-found objective — establish an invulnerable bastion on this island as a base to explore the world.


	4. Chapter 3 - Intermission

**Chapter 3 — The legendary race of warriors**

* * *

 **Author's words**

This chapter is a bit different than the others. For example, I've experimented unusual things, but I'm quite satisfied with the result. I still hope that I've kept up with your expectations and that I managed to do even better than the last chapter. Talking about that, next one will come with the map I had prepared for the fanfiction (because I guess it will become quickly complicated to understand all the places and positions). I hope that I could hype you for the next chapter, and I stay available if you have any questions !

— Sasugasm

* * *

A tall green orc trudged along the muddy road.

The shining armor that he had equipped betrayed the warrior's rank, but even if it attracted the attention, his weapon was even more impressive — a war hammer made of adamantium, the toughest material one could find.

From up close, you could see that he was covered in body paint. His head, his torso, and even his hands exposed these "temporary tattoos" of all forms and sizes. It could have been a fashion tendency, but magic flowed from these arts — the paint was imbued in an ancient spell, different from the Ranked Magic known among the humans but still carrying the unique signature emanating from enchantments.

Behind this imposing orc, a whole army followed.

Two parts divided the humongous mass formed by the military force. One consisted of goblins with some trolls and kobolds, and the other part was composed of orcs with powerful war machines pulled by animals.

A lot of them demonstrated the same war paint as the head warrior — although in lesser quantity. Oddly, the more the orcs were coated in these symbols, the more they conveyed the feel of a strong warrior — heavily implying that the one in the lead was their chieftain.

Still, the rest of the army was ridiculously well equipped and had blood on their weapons — it was clear that they had just returned from a battle.

"Stop !"

The war chief loudly exclaimed his orders in a deep voice.

"We're close."

He addressed this sentence to the second-in-command standing at his side. He was the one in whom he had the utmost confidence — and the latter couldn't help but tease his friend.

"You're afraid ?"

"Of course I am, Junak. Haven't you seen what _that_ monster is capable of ? He took down a human stronghold with a single spell. No one knows what he will do, but one thing is sure — he's dangerous, for them, and for us."

"You're probably right, but we need _him_. We can always copy human's magic, but we will never be as good as they are with it. When the warriors follow this guy, they feel that everything is possible. I would bet my life that, without his power, there would be nothing remaining of us today."

The commander took a saddened expression as he spoke the next words.

"Even though, he is going to lead us to our ruin. The absolute ruler is strong, I can't deny it, but he also lacks selflessness. Humans are not stupid, they will take advantage of this. If you remember the battle of the Tironde Vale, our forces were on an equal footing, and we still were largely defeated — not because they were stronger, but because they are geniuses of strategy and planning. I just hope our leader will remember that crucial point."

Junak approached his friend and put a hand on his shoulders.

"Maybe, but for now, we are not powerful enough to do anything by ourselves, Thorgash. We can't face the human's treasures without _him_."

"I know…"

The two orcs had walked toward the rally point, which was supposed to be close to their position. They just returned from a seemingly unsuccessful raid, and Thorgash was uneasy at the thought of confronting his superior. He thought he had taken the right decision by falling back, but he also knew that the absolute ruler would probably not see it the same way.

Anxious about the reaction of his leader, he climbed a hill to get a better view of their destination — and as soon as he reached the top with his friends following him, his breath got cut short.

Before invading their enemies and to protect themselves from any eventuality, a lot of preparations had been undertaken. Without surprise, one of them consisted of establishing a camp not far from the frontline — in case they had to back up to a safe location. They had chosen a fitting region, located north of Fornost in the human territory, well positioned and easy to hide from their enemies. With the perfect location settled, they had assigned the task of establishing the garrison to the kobolds who had worked day and night at the job.

And the result was far beyond the expectations —

In the brink of a day, the kobolds had built a fortified barracks with unprecedented quality. Among the defensive structures, you could count wooden walls with watchtowers, trenches filled with piles or even warehouses holding food for a year — with everything in proportion to sustain a big army for a long siege.

Thorgash and Junak watched the prowess from afar, busting their torsos in respect.

"Impressive. These kobolds sure are handy."

"Maybe, but I will never trust them completely. Years of bloodshed do not disappear so quickly. Who knows when they or the goblins will betray us."

Thorgash watched his friends with a comprehensive look.

"They are as desperate as we are. It is only thanks to the absolute ruler that we could reunite the clans and make an alliance with the goblins. It only proves that everyone reached a dead end and need to eradicate the humans, one and for all."

Junak glanced at his friend with a dark look — he was apparently not fond of the whole idea of uniting and frowned his eyebrows in discontent.

"Let's not make the warriors wait any longer. They must be tired."

As his friend walked back to his position, the commander couldn't help but watch him as he remembered their terrible past. He lost himself in his thought — thinking about how they had managed to get to their current situation.

Thorgash came from a proud clan, like most of the warriors.

He had climbed the ranks, achieving feats after feats, and becoming a legend in the orcs legacy. His stamina and his physical strength were unparalleled, recognized among the warriors of all the clans — but, despite these incredible assets, his title referred to something different than his strength.

He was called Thorgash "the Strong-Willed" because he was renowned to be a master strategist who always stayed calm in any situation — and to say, he had been in the most desperate situations the orcs had known. The commander would always find the right thing to do and suffer few casualties, even in the most unfavorable battle.

And in this period of despair for the orcs, this skill was a gift for the proud warrior race.

Since ancient times, they had been fighting each other over territories — making alliances, betraying pacts and even erasing whole factions of their history. They lived to be the most dominant species on the island and would never have thought that they could be defeated.

But all of a sudden, 200 years earlier, a new party had entered the conflict :

— Humans.

With their appearance, they brought a new way of fighting and destructive magic the orcs couldn't face. Slowly, the newcomers took down the clans, one by one, pushing them farther and farther until the point of break. It was the biggest humiliation the orcs could face. The warriors who had devoted their entire life to wars and power lost when they were more numerous and stronger than their opponents — nothing could have been more frustrating.

In response, the orcs had tried to copy the human's technique and use them against their creators — but without success. It was as if they always lacked something, whether being late of two centuries in their way of fighting or using outdated and unsuccessful strategies.

For the warriors, the battle was always one-sided in any situation, and their power was too insufficient to even correctly defend themselves.

As a result of their continual defeats, many clans couldn't endure losing, again and again, to their opponents. Their resources were shrunk down progressively, and they lost all their members in the most horrible ways — dying of hunger and thirst, freezing to death, doomed to a slow and painful ending as they were getting exhausted by humans who chased them, over and over, with diseases not far all the while.

And, with their resistance growing weaker and weaker, the orcs were faced with supplementary dangers, making their situation even more challenging.

Among them, you could find the opposing clans getting much more aggressive because of their own sufferance, or the dangerous beasts attacking in an unpredictable manner — making countless victims every time. There was also the danger of the minorities of the island who were as desperate as they were — like goblins or trolls. These would regularly leave their territory to trespass on the orc's, obliging the latter to overthrown the invasion. The loss would count in hundred of victims — if not their complete defeat. But, above all of these menaces, one terrorized them even more.

You would think that the orcs were united in their agony, but it was not the case — the warriors couldn't even rely on their own people. Many would betray their clan for a good position in another, usually condemning their old friends to misery and death. The clans knew this could happen, resulting in a growing suspicion which slowly destroyed them from the inside.

Overall, it was a period of profound desperation for the smaller clans — and with their torments knowing no ends, these had no choice but to progressively reunite with the strongest groups of the island.

In no time, the four largest orc forces formed, resulting in the most powerful groups of the orc's history —

But still, these were not strong enough to face the humans. They still lost, again — and again — with not a single significant victory to bring back their determination.

Steadily, the orc race slowly advanced toward their complete extinction with their decline knowing no boundaries. It would not be exaggerated to say that they were on the brink of taking the most desperate measures.

There was no miracle, no victories, nothing to make them recover from their agony. There was only defeat, death and sadness, and in this period of trouble, a single event happened, sealing off their despair —

Traumatizing the orcs, the strongest of the four great clans dismantled and perished from a full-scale invasion of the humans.

This was five years earlier, and at the time, it had a considerable impact on all the other clans which went down a terrible episode of horror and shock. What could they do when even their most fearsome force had been entirely annihilated ? It was as if they could just wait for their time and die like the beasts they were.

But, orcs would never accept such a fate —

They still had their honor and pride, and would never bend for so little. As such, the leaders took immediate measures — organizing a meeting to eventually decide of an alliance between their remaining clans.

The room was full of the most powerful orcs, coming from the three great clans, and in the center stood their chieftains.

The debate went on for a long a time, but no one would make concessions to the others. The long story of opposition between their respective factions was not forgotten, and the hostility in the audience was still vivid. Obviously, the threat posed by the humans was not significant enough to make them understand they had no choice but to unite.

With the tension rising and the inevitable confrontation between the clans approaching, one great warrior stood up and went interrupting this nonsense.

Out of his large body and resolute figure, he claimed that the orcs had grown weak and powerless, relying on words more than strength. With an unparalleled anger, he provoked their leaders in a duel, claiming he could defeat them all alone and replace them to lead the three clans.

— Orcs were a proud race, and their leaders had no choice but to accept the challenge. Refusing such a defiance would be the same as admitting they were vulnerable — and no weakling would be put in the place of a chieftain. This arrogant orc had to pay his vanity with a brutal reminding that he was facing the three most powerful warriors of the orc's legacy at the same time.

But, in spite of all odds, the latter defeated them so easily that a heavy silence went striking the audience. The victory was so obvious that everyone could just watch their leaders fall with a shocked silence. Hopefully, the victorious champion would not let this silence take down the last bit of determination that the orcs had. He elevated from his incontestable success and proclaimed simple words which echoed through the minds of every warrior present.

"Observe my undeniable victory ! Does it not remind you of how the humans had been chasing us for the past years ? There can only be one reason behind these defeats —

Our chieftains were weaklings !

Is it not shameful that arriving strangers, peoples ignorant of our land, intruders that are accustomed to flee like cowards, men without honor, should proceed to win against us ?

Their victories are the fruit of the laziness of our leaders only — these foreigners should never have defied us in the first place ! Our fighting spirit has been asleep for too long, transforming us into sheep instead of the wolves we used to be. This is the consequence of our coward leaders who forced our people to flee, not yours. They betrayed our people and doomed us to death ! We, warriors, haven't lost yet !

Will you flee in fear when you haven't yet fought ? I tell you ! There is no retreat but in submission and slavery ! Humans are already forging the chains supposed to imprison you and your family ! They are planning to subdue our people and kill us, you are no exception !

But — we won't accept this.

We are warriors, and warriors fight until death for their liberty. Your glorious fate await — and let it come ! I repeat it, let it come !

Let it be victory ! Let it be death ! Let it be madness ! Raise your standards, brave warriors, and set neither measure nor limit to your merited rage. May the lightning of your glory be seen and the thunders of your onset heard from east to west.

Come ! — Remember your forgotten strength and unleash its power on these naive humans ! Yes ! Because they are yet ignorant of the legends of our champions, and these shall resonate through the battlefield once again !

From now on, we will not flee ! We will fight, doing what we should have done many years before ! From now on, we can finally let the combatants take over our minds ! Today is our day ! Today is the day orcs are awakened — and their wrath will make the whole realm tremble !"

As soon as the warrior finished his speech, the dark silence intensified.

Orcs were people who relied on strength. Watching the ones supposed to be at the peak of their power get defeated so quickly made them realize why they had lost to the humans until now. The winning brother who stood in the middle of their hopeless meeting had said the words they wanted to hear the most — and they could just plainly accept them.

For the first time in their lives, the warriors thought they could win if they followed this natural-born leader. For the first time, they had the determination to strike back and retrieve their territory —

With this single incident, orcs went from desperate and terrified to revitalized and resolute. They were as galvanized as ever, and nothing could hinder their strong will as they were now. If they followed this warrior in this one moment, they would be able to do anything.

And that is precisely what they did —

A good part of the present combatants formed a vanguard, destined to recover the principal city of the defeated clan. With their new leader, they marched on Xenovar and completely annihilated the humans defending it — resulting in an unprecedented achievement for the orc race.

With the lightning victory they had just tasted, they established a new faction with a new leader at their head. No one would come back to their clans after this event — it was as if their old leaders had been the cause of their constant defeats against the humans.

The story quickly propagated in all the clans — a rumor spread that someone had humiliated the chieftains and could overwhelm the human race against all the odds. Gradually, the orcs got entranced by the tale, and they progressively joined forces with the new leader. With their warriors leaving, the three remaining clans had no choice but to disappear — letting their place to the most powerful coalition of orcs.

But —

It wasn't enough.

Their leader wanted more power if he were to face the humans.

As such, he went to the south, in the goblins territory, and subdued their race. He went to the mountain, fighting the cold and taking the kobolds as slaves. He negotiated with the trolls and added their strengths to his army. He eliminated all of the ancient chieftains, killed the orcs who opposed him and banished these he deemed to be weak.

In no time, the great orc warrior took over all human's enemies, reigning with an iron grip and calling himself the "absolute ruler".

The now legendary chief became famous among all the races for that he had a clear goal for anyone following him, and everyone clearly sensed it — he lived to get his revenge on the humans, and that was his sole purpose. Without surprise, he immediately organized a raid to take back half of their lost territory when the time came.

This retaliation had been launched the day before, carefully planned in all details and marked by a second stone in orc's history. The first step of their plan had remained a secret, and only the absolute leader was aware of it. But, out of respect for him, the orcs had trusted his choice and followed him to the most foolish destination they could have taken — marching on Fornost, the most powerful place held by the humans.

This stronghold was known to be an impregnable fortress and a place of death for any species. Even with the most grandiose strategy and the largest army, victory was far from assured.

Any warriors could have doubted the choice of the absolute ruler. They knew a siege would be meaningless against the human magic, and trying to conquer the bastion was just pure madness. But, instead of suffering tremendous losses, they were once again reminded of the so-known story of the legendary orc chieftain.

— The latter did not recklessly launch the assault.

Instead, he told his troops to circle the city with elaborate tactics — leaving no room to the humans to warn their allies. He sent various groups to exterminate the few villages that could hinder his advance, carefully executing everything and suffering few casualties in the process.

With the different parts of his army finally positioned for a long siege, he did not engage in this sort of strategy. Instead, the great orc leader advanced forward and alone, out of distance of the human's arrows. As he did this curious maneuver, the troops from both side observed his strange behavior and watched him as he accomplished something so unexpected that it baffled everyone present.

To the astonishment of his troops, he used a single spell, with a long cast time but a never before seen power. A thick dark cloud of seemingly toxic substance went englobing the stronghold, leaving no safety room for his enemies and inescapably killing almost all of the humans in the area. The screams of pain and terrors could be heard in all the battlefield — even behind the orc lines. From a modern point of view, it would have been seen as a terrible chemical weapon, one of the secret and dangerous ones who frighten us at nights.

Among the followers of the absolute ruler, there was a lot of shocked faces, but most of the warriors had an excited behavior.

Orcs weren't known for their magic casters because it was considered a human privilege — and it was said that only them could use this art so naturally. That is why, after seeing their leader overcoming this wall between orcs and humans with a disconcerting simplicity, it made them feel he was more than a mere individual.

The impact was so powerful on the troops that their morale couldn't have raised higher. They had found an absolute being, which stood above anyone else and in which the warriors could rely upon to lead them to victory — his power would serve to defeat their enemies with a pure and simple absence of complication. No one would dare to oppose the orcs now — their long-lost pride had finally been recovered ,and they would never lose it again, for any or no reason.

Following the horrific spell of their leaders, the orcs rushed in Fornost, eventually killing the few terrorized survivors and conquering the place with a troubling ease.

Quickly after they finished capturing the place, the absolute ruler stood up from his quick victory and ordered to split into two groups to invade the humans further.

The great orc leader knew that Fornost was the gate to conquer the whole eastern part of the mankind's kingdom — and to conquer the stronghold meant to conquer the entire east. He would patiently wait for his victory, letting the Warriors taste the sweet taste of revenge and achieving a perfect blitzkrieg.

But — earlier this morning, the group meant to subdue the northern part had been stopped in their advance.

Instead of casually wiping everything in their passage, the raid had retreated after 2 or 3 villages — encountering a powerful caster near Tomes.

Thorgash, the war chief responsible for the assault, had decided to back-up when the magic disaster stroke down his interception group. He had lost one of his best warriors in the process that it made him realize something — he couldn't advance further with this power in the wild. The commander had been fighting against the humans many times before and knew he couldn't underestimate them. There was no reason to lose their newfound determination for so little as running into this unknown storm.

As such, he had decided to inform the absolute ruler of this vast power and let him take care of it — a monster was perfect to fight another monster, he had thought. These were the reasoning behind his retreat, and anyone present had understood his logical choice.

But, Thorgash was at the same time afraid of the reaction of the absolute ruler. At worst, it could have an impact on the warriors — but the commander believed that the sanction would not be so stupid. Instead, he thought he would be the only one penalized for falling back.

Taking a last glimpse at the camp where his fate awaited, he clenched his fists and accepted what was coming for him — turning to the army and getting back to his position.

"The camp is beneath the hill ! Be satisfied ! The kobolds worked day and night to provide you with foods and beds. Now, move on and get a rest ! Don't expect to stay for too long, we will raid further next time !"

At this call, the army resumed its march and loudly walked toward the camp.

All the way through the road, Thorgash had a worried look — thinking of what the absolute ruler would do. He couldn't help but ponder the consequences it would have, on him or his relatives. The orc commander had made himself essential, but he couldn't say the same for his wife and children — if they were to get killed because of his recklessness, he would never forgive himself. He could only pray, deep inside, that he would be given a second chance.

Arriving at the gate, the doors opened hastily at the arrival of the army, and as the warriors advanced toward the entrance, a widely painted orc shouted from the barricade.

"The absolute ruler awaits you, Thorgash ! Don't expect to leave unharmed this time."

It was a war chief who howled his satisfaction. Thorgash had been in competition with him to lead the army, but he had won over the bloodthirsty orc. Being at the head of an army was a proof of the trust of the absolute ruler, and even if they were part of the raid sent to do easy plunders, jealousy could easily create tension between the competitors — exactly what happened between the two of them.

Thorgash watched the orc angrily as the latter laughed at him from the wall, but he said nothing — he had taken this decision knowing the consequences and would face it with courage.

The army entered the camp and followed their commander to a singular place.

The kobolds had built some sort of amphitheater in the back of the camp — carved into the hill. Half of the structure consisted of seats for spectators while the other part exhibited a large throne for the absolute ruler to sit on. It was half finished, but Thorgash sensed that it would serve as a tribunal to judge him. It was big enough to convey an oppressive feeling for the one in the center but small enough for him to perceive that he was in a cage.

 _This maniac even gave the order to build the symbol of his vanity._

He approached his destination and suddenly stopped when a deep voice echoed through the camp. It was charismatic enough to make every single one of the warriors shut their mouth — and the silence caused by the sudden halt amplified his already loud voice.

"You disappointed me, Thorgash the Strong-Willed. I had high hopes for you but now is the time of your judgment. Take place in the center where we will deliberate on your crimes."

This small speech was really powerful. It was like the voice resonated in the mind of the orcs — seducing and asserting dominance on everyone. From the tone of the absolute ruler alone, it felt like you had no choice but to follow his order — making his wrath even more burdensome for the one targeted.

As silent as he could be, Thorgash took his place in the center of the amphitheater with his troops watching him from the tribunes. It felt like everything had been made to make it look like a performance — making some of his closest followers uneasy in the process. Even if the other races had been dismissed and sent to another part of the camp, the whole structure was just too small and rushed. There was hardly enough space to fit the entire army, and thus, the orcs stood close to each other in disarray.

In the center, the judged commander couldn't help but watch his surroundings with his heart pounding, faster and faster — awaiting the words of the absolute ruler.

What was he about to do ?

The question was on everyone's mind, and the tension was rising as the almighty orc remained silent. The cruel muteness quickly grew unbearable for Thorgash, and he met his eyes with these of the great orc leader seated on his throne. All he could see was eyes, as orange as the fire, which carried a dissatisfied feeling — and this discontent seemed to be cast on everyone in the audience.

As soon as Thorgash met his eyes with these of the absolute ruler, the latter lifted his hands and rose from his seat — having his subordinate promptly bowing down his head.

"You know very well why you are here, Thorgash. You brought dishonor on our race with your cowardice. This would be punished by death in normal times, but everyone present knows your strength, and as such, I am willing to let you a chance to explain your behavior. Stand up. I want you to tell everyone what caused a proud general to flee like a deserter."

His voice carried no anger, no contempt, just straight disappointment.

There was no one to wonder why he was the one leading the orcs — he truly fitted his position and showed an unconditional love for everyone he deemed to be strong. To dissatisfy such a compelling person, it would readily infuriate anyone who had put their faith in him. But Thorgash did not let himself disconcerted by the weighty atmosphere and firmly expressed what led him to his decision.

"I am aware that I fled when victory was in our hands, but I do not regret my decision. Too many times, we've been defeated because of the shallow thought that we had the advantage. I won't be making the same mistake again. The power that was shown in Tomes was even greater than yours. I couldn't risk losing all the warriors for so little as recklessness, and that's why I backed up. But I am sure we can fight this force if we get our hands on the right information — without knowledge, on the other hand, it would be the same as trying to fight a demon without weapons."

The eyebrows of the absolute ruler frowned at his subordinate explanation — especially at the mention of a power greater than his own. He took a despising voice, casting a veil of terror on Thorgash.

"You are easily intimidated for a warrior. While this power intrigues me, I can not abide for your behavior. You forever lost the advantage I gave you, and we won't be able to regain it any sooner. You disgraced your rank by taking a foolish decision which will lead to substantial losses as the humans will get the time to send their reinforcements. All the strategic places that would have been taken without breaking a sweat will now be a place of sorrow and death for our warriors."

The anger in his words gradually increased as he pronounced his harsh speech — and the audience could not help but to silently agree with their leader.

"You acted the same as these weak clan chieftains of the past ! You are as sluggish as they were ! If I let you unharmed, you will become the reason we will lose in the future. You disappointed me, Thorgash. I am afraid that to wash out your misconduct and realize the shame you brought upon us, you will have to undergo the great cleanup..."

Everyone was shocked by the last sentence — the warriors informly gasped at the mention of the great cleanup.

This term referred to an atrocious ceremony, not to say a torture. This ritual was the most disgracing situation an orc could go through, and even for Thorgash, it was demeaning enough to make him take a frightened expression and produce cold sweat going through all his body.

He felt like the supreme leader had said the truth all along, and gradually, he had accepted what was coming from him — but the sentence was harsher than what he had prepared himself to.

For a human who knew of what it returns, it would be meaningless and probably funny to watch. But for an orc, the ritual was a fundamental part of their tradition.

Among their customs, one of these stood head and shoulders above the others — like an instinct or a natural way of living. This essential practice consisted of painting magic symbols on their corpse every time a warrior achieved a significant feat. Each symbol had a profound meaning and remained as vital as an orc's own life.

To produce these corporal paintings, they had individuals among their ranks who called themselves "shamans". These inherited their singularity at birth and could use a moderately different type of magic than the humans — casting spells which relied on souls.

When an orc would succeed in something great — like reaching adulthood, winning a great battle, killing a powerful enemy and so on — the shamans would use their magic to paint a forever lasting symbol of their feat.

Depending on the achievement, the energy used to paint the emblem could get significantly high, going from just exhausting someone to killing a hundred of prisoners for one of these marks. This way, and whatever the warrior would do in his future, his distinguished accomplishments would follow him everywhere he goes — and if he were to become weak and useless, the paintings would be here to remember these around that he was a strong warrior.

To remove these symbols from an orc's body would be the same as erasing his life and denying everything he has accomplished — making him take a new depart from zero. The ceremony was without a doubt the most horrifying experience they could go through. Saying it would be a torture would not be far from the truth because it had the same effect as killing someone's spirit and leaving him barely alive.

For these precise reasons, it had considerably shocked the audience.

Even if the present warriors had a great respect for the absolute ruler, they knew Thorgash for a longer time and forged deep bonds with him. They could not openly accept the sentence set for their commander when the latter had just been cautious for his crimes. As a result, some of them even contested it, calling it unfair and asking to lessen the condemnation — with Junak being the one arguing the most vociferously.

But, as the situation took a chaotic turn, Thorgash rose from the agitation and accepted his judgment. He wouldn't accept to have his friends killed for the sole reason that he couldn't endure the great cleanup. Furthermore, he couldn't help but to admit that the absolute ruler was right — his retreat would probably cause a lot of warriors to die in the future.

"Stop it, my friends… I am touched that you are speaking for me, but I will go through the ritual. I can not help but think everything the absolute ruler has said is right… I may have prohibited an easy victory for the sake of a precipitate decision and caused a great harm by retreating cluelessly. I probably deserve this, and I will face it with courage."

With the new silence which took the place of the turmoil, the absolute ruler addressed his war chief with a big smile. His words conveying a satisfied feeling as he watched Thorgash — as if he had won yet another battle.

"Good decision, warchief. If you had denied your crimes, I would have cast you away from our clan. But since you understood the seriousness of the situation, you shall keep your place among the warriors. I expect you to serve me even better after you start your new life. Let your new self be gifted with remarkable feats and extraordinary strength. Now step forth, shamans, and let the ritual begins."

As the silence grew heavier and heavier, Thorgash couldn't help but breathe irregularly — he had never seen someone endure the great cleanup and, thus, he had no idea what to expect.

He instinctively observed the back of the amphitheater, where three bizarre orcs slowly walked toward him.

You could instantly tell from their demarche that they were not made for combat — they were wearing cloth attires, with ample apparels for them to look like they had a great wisdom. The group was composed of a male and two females, but this was hardly observable since they had their face hidden behind large hoods. Oddly, they had not a single ounce of paint on them apart from one minuscule point in the center of their forehead — but this singularity irradiated a really powerful magic which differentiated them from the other orcs.

The shamans approached Thorgash in a formal manner — slowing taking steps after steps and observing the scenery.

With the three orcs taking their respective places, they exclaimed their words together, in a voice carrying great wisdom. They had put significant effort to reach a perfect tone, and you could sense it in their speech.

"The ritual will carry on without interruption and your strength will determine its power. Hence, thou soul will scatter if you are weak. Hence, it shalt end quickly if you are worthy. Now hear our words and obey — our souls are connected, and your strength belongs to our magic now."

As the three shamans closed their eyes and elevated their hands toward Thorgash, he felt an odd sensation which made him feel dizzy — his power gradually left his body until the point it did not belong to him anymore, as if he had given it up on his own will. He grew weaker and weaker until the shamans began moving from their position.

As they progressed throughout the ceremony, they started pronouncing obscure words which carried the magic of their spell — but even if the orcs could hear them, not a single one could repeat these, even a second after. The words just slipped out of their minds the next instant they had been pronounced.

If the warriors did not understand the dialect, they still knew instinctively that the words had a profound sense, as if their elocution carried the essence of its meaning. It was more a form of communication rather than a mere speech — different from just talking aimlessly. Each word was the very soul of what it represented, and you could have the feeling that the term actually _existed_ the one instant it was spoken.

Merely listening, the whole melody was really odd to hear but it was fascinating at the same time.

It wasn't the first time the orcs had experienced this feeling — every time they had acquired one of their corporal paintings, the shamans had pronounced similar words. But today, they could sense the violence behind the concepts as opposed to the usual glory and serenity they conveyed.

As a result, Thorgash was now in some sort of trance.

He was not dreaming nor awake but he was conscious — as conscious as ever. He experienced weird sensations, some not unpleasant while other struck him down in pain with his body shivering and his individuality gone. Even for the spectator, it a horrifying view as the very own soul of their commander was attacked by the words the shamans were vocalizing — the mind of Thorgash did not belong to him anymore, but it stayed here, the victim of an unpleasant fate.

Progressively, they secluded all resistance that the orc warchief could possess and attacked his naked mind. Then — one by one — they forcefully erased all of the feats they had engraved in Thorgash's spirit.

The accomplishments he had earned with so much pain were slowly disappearing before his eyes, and his soul constantly bent in agony. Every time they wiped out an exploit, he could sense his actions becoming devoid of appreciations and disappearing altogether.

The time he had slain a hundred enemies to permit retreat for his people. The time he had killed a first-class adventurer — the strongest champions of the humans. The time he became one of the orcs commanders.

All were gone —

Only subsided his unfortunate soul with his very existence changed to something new.

The ritual eventually came to an end, and the orc warchief fell on the ground with a muffled sound.

The audience watched Thorgash with a gulping stillness. They had just watched one of the most legendary warriors getting extracted of all his glory and honor — it was appalling enough for them to engrave this scene deep in their memories and make the silent promise that they would never get in the same situation.

The exhausted shamans had large eyes as they watched the orc commander with an astonished look. The ceremony had been quick — not to say extremely fast. Thorgash had extensive latent resources they had been able to use freely to end the ritual in a matter of a minute. With their longing voices, they exclaimed their amazement as well as the end of the ceremony.

"The great cleanup is accomplished. A new warrior has arisen — his past feats like his past mistakes are no more. Raise your voices for this new champion, for that he inherited the immeasurable strength of our ancestors. He has proven his worth with his tenacity and shall be welcomed among the warriors for his courage. May the absolute leader recognize this brother as part of his army."

With the ritual accomplished, the absolute ruler elevated from his throne and looked down on Thorgash with a wicked smile — the latter barely conscious as he was spread on the ground with his eyes glaring into the void.

"Good. May this serves as a warning for all the warriors present. We are in a time of war, and you are expected to win, not to flee."

The leader now turned to the warriors and exclaimed his next orders.

"Now, we won't let the humans do what they want, do we ? I'm taking the lead. We will join our forces to these holding Fornost and spread our wrath from the stronghold. Eat to your content and rest, my warriors. Tomorrow, we have a long run to do and a lot of things to plan. It is only the beginning of our victories ! We won't get stopped by a single defeat."

With the army silently scattering in shock, one of the closest followers of Thorgash came down in the center. They watched their leader in silence, waiting for everyone to leave the amphitheater, and when they remained alone, Junak spoke his words.

"He's not a warrior. He's a demon. Thorgash warned me, but I never really paid attention to it. The commander did not deserve that. That was just purely for the show and the decision of a tyrant. I don't know for you, my friends, but I think we've got one more enemy — deadlier than humans."

The warriors agreed to Junak with the biggest of them taking the floor.

"No warriors should have to go through this ritual. It's too cruel. But I think you're right, the absolute ruler doesn't feel _orc_ at all, there is something more to it. He's probably a demon — the result of years of our hatred and rage toward humans. Let's just hope we can do something about it the day we will have to face him."

The elite warriors watched themselves in sorrow, understanding the situation very well. They could be wrong, but deep inside, they knew they were right about the absolute ruler. He could be of a great help today, but anytime soon, he would become a dangerous leader you would not want to follow.

His power was just unnatural — to take down the most powerful human stronghold with a single spell ? It was madness to even think of something like this — but everyone had accepted it so quickly. There was probably another force into the wheel, manipulating everyone to make them trust the corrupt leader.

But for now, they could do nothing about it.

Thorgash's friend would go to Fornost with him, following the mighty orc, and see how things would unfold.

They hoped their commander would recover from the ritual, but as it is now, he was far from waking up — they couldn't even be sure that he would get back to his normal state when he would stand up.

Advancing in silence, they carried their commander to bring him to a warm bed for him to rest. What they had just experienced was too disturbing for them to say anything and they could just ponder a simple question which had not crossed their minds until now.

How could they defeat this orc, who came out of nowhere and brought such a tremendous power with him ?


	5. Chapter 4 - Choice of the Wanderers

**Chapter 4 — Choice of the Wanderers**

* * *

 **Author's words**

Hey,

It's been over a month, sorry for the long wait ! I had a lot of trouble to convey the feeling I wanted, but I think the chapter is decent enough to release it. Furthermore, I had to write a lot of things before actually finishing this chapter because it forecast the way it will all end — and trust me, it will be completed in an unexpected and fabulous way. As I promised, this chapter comes with a detailed map of the island — which is far west of the Re-Estize Kingdom. You can find it at imgur com/vSwN74A jpg. (appears I am not allowed to post links, that's sad)

I highly value your reviews, and I still read them carefully — this is truly enjoyable to hear your comments after releasing a new chapter since it allows me to improve my writings and I just wanted to say thank you for your kindness. That said, I hope you will appreciate this chapter.

— Sasugasm

* * *

 **Chapter content**

With a smile on his face, Kabal elevated from an unconscious man.

"Phew… He's okay now. He will survive. Let him sleep, and by the time he will wake up, he will have fully recovered."

The women to whom he had addressed these words took an expression of extreme gratitude as she bowed down in a clumsy way.

"Thank you ! Thank you so much ! I will never forget what you've done for us !"

"Erm… You don't have to kneel. It was my pleasure to help you — plus I've already earned something back from our conversation. I considered myself paid."

"Is that so ?... You're so kind... If you want my advice, you should never help someone for free, or you might irritate people you want nothing to do with."

 _I guess that the proverb "Let sleeping dogs lie" applies to any world..._

"Are you thinking about the Punishers ?"

The women took a terrified expression as she heard this name — she approached Kabal, talking to him in a small voice.

"Not only them… But also the mage guild. They won't appreciate being ridiculed by a single person…"

"Bah…"

Kabal had heard about the two groups, but the stories inadvertently revealed how weak they were. In consequence, he had decided to utterly ignore them with the goal to focus on things that were more important.

"While your concern touches me, you don't have to worry too much about it — I can take care of it by myself. No one will kill me whether or not I helped you. Just live your life as if I never came here — and everything will go just fine."

As he was slowly departing from her side, the women watched him with tears forming in her eyes.

"Y—You are already targeted, isn't it ?"

Kabal's only response to her question was a smile — not a warmth smile but more like a smile of amusement.

 _Even if it was the case, I doubt they could do anything._

He knew that the Punishers had not a single chance against him when their most famous exploit related the use of something barely approaching 6th tier magic — that was if the story had not been embellished.

Yet, the women couldn't know that.

She believed Kabal had helped her without minding the consequences and that he was now in great danger. In her eyes, his smile was the most meaningful gesture he could show her — because it implied that he had willingly exchanged his life for a stranger's, apprehending that he exposed himself to this mortal threat. But— she could not accept such an unreasonable fate.

"That's too cruel ! You're just helping us !"

As soon as she finished her sentence, the women's emotions took over her mind. She brought her hand to her mouth while sobbing — her sorrow growing bigger and bigger as she watched Kabal with grateful eyes. No one else would have been able to help her, and even if there were someone, he would not have done so. That is why Kabal's act of kindness profoundly impacted her because, if it weren't for him, she would have died along with her husband. However, there was nothing she could do to repay her debt. This man had saved her reason for living, but all she could do in exchange was to get him in peril.

With all her heart, the women desired to assist Kabal in his trouble, but she also wanted to respect his decision... All she could do consisted of painfully observing the departure of this great man… but one thing was sure, she would never forget what he had done for her.

She watched her hero with great respect and appreciation as he headed to the exit — and, in the room, everyone had that same regard. From their reactions, it was clear that Kabal had been saving all of them from certain death. A lot of the citizens thanked him as he passed by, expressing their gratitude in all way possible. Some even asking him if he needed help and most of them silently let him advance with admiration and comprehension.

A bit embarrassed, Kabal left the temple with a satisfied expression, knowing that his plan was a success. The citizens owed him a debt that he would assuredly use at the right time — and giving him a reason to explain his behavior to Ester. He passed the large entrance, his regard landing on the elf who quickly joined him as soon as she saw him.

"Should I make my report ?"

 _Since when she's here ? She has been waiting for me ?_

"...Go ahead."

The elf took an earnest expression as she casually disclosed her discoveries.

"You were right. This building belongs to an influential organization worshipping what the humans call The Four Great Gods — it is one of their temples."

Ester pointed at the huge building from which Kabal just emerged.

"It is supposed to act as a religious institution ensuring the well-being of the Lasiroth Kingdom's citizens. From what I heard, the members have sworn to keep the balance of the world and ensure the prosperity of the citizens by fighting what they call 'the curses of the nonliving' — in other terms, the diseases."

"I've heard that too. But the members supposedly protect the Kingdom against the undead too — if I am right ?"

"Yes ! Exactly ! But — even if they are mainly composed of magic casters who use healing or conjuration spells — the members of the faith are very limited by their power. They must be able to use fourth tier magic at most."

 _I knew it… They are useless against most life-threatening injuries and poisons — which is why they couldn't heal the wounded in the temple._

"Even if they are supposed to be a separate institution, the truth is that they are secretly ruled by the government. With the chain of command in place, it allows the nobles to control some sort of punishment squads calling themselves the "Punishers". But, overall, they pose no threat. The members of the faith are just spending their time healing the citizens instead of fighting the undead as they should — thus they are thoroughly under-experimented and weak."

Kabal watched the elf with a contented expression — she had brought him the exact intel he needed to ensure that the Punishers weren't a threat. Furthermore, she had been far beyond what he actually needed. When the orders had been quite vague, the amount and the quality of the knowledge that Ester had gathered impressed him. She still found the right thing to invest — and that is why he could only praise her efforts.

"Good job, you served me well."

But even with the compliment that her master destined at her, Ester still had a worried look as she watched Kabal with lovely eyes.

"...Anything else ? You look worried."

"Ahh… I don't have the right to bother you with my questions. I know that my inability to understand your intentions must make me the laughing stock of the servants of the Supreme Ones. But this is beyond my privilege to ask you something..."

Kabal watched her with round eyes.

 _What the hell is that she want to ask me ? Now she got me curious._

"Mhh… You don't have to restrain yourself. Ask. I will never prevent you from posing questions."

"... If this is really what you believe, I will go ahead and ask."

The elf took a defeated look as she expressed herself.

"I can't figure out why you healed the citizens…"

"Ehh… That's all ?"

As her master showed his lack of interested in such a trivial matter, the elf couldn't help but defend what she believed to be a serious issue.

"I discern that collecting information is important, but I can't find the reason behind this act... To tell the truth, I am relatively sure that the inhabitants of this region are utterly useless in term of servants — and it would already be a great honor if you gratified them of your presence. But at the same time, I doubt that you helped them without motives. That is why I can only apologize for my lack of knowledge and ask you... Please enlighten me. Could you explain your intentions to a fool like me ?"

Kabal's jaw hung open for a moment — lost for words. Ester's hate toward the humans was a bit overwhelming for him. They surely seemed to be incredibly weak and helpless, but it wasn't a reason to completely ignore them as if they were insects. Yet, even if that was what he believed, Kabal couldn't tell her what he had in mind — because he would appear too kind for a supposedly Supreme Being. No, that was not it... Even if he were to say anything, there was probably no right answer to her question — since the elf believed the citizens were insects. However, Kabal had no other options but to roll the dice and hope for the best.

"…Like I already said, we could end up facing someone stronger than us at any moment. We don't know when the enemies would appear nor from where they would come. As such, we must make as many friends as possible and build an intelligence network to prepare us for this eventuality. This way, we will be able to gather plenty of our opponent's weaknesses while they will lack information about us."

Ester suddenly lifted her head as if she just understood something — encouraging Kabal to pursue his explanation.

"If I helped the noble of this city, it is because we can use him to collect information about this world and take decisions upon what he will give us. I also managed to draw valuable knowledge from the citizens, and a lot of them owe me their life. Never underestimate the power of the mass, they could have a better use than what you think."

At the end of his sentence, Kabal took a weird expression. He did say something unbelievable compared to what he was used to thinking, and he was a bit afraid of himself.

 _Since when did I become so heartless ? These poor citizens deserved to live, and I helped them because I wanted it, not because they could be useful. So why did I not tell her this instead ?_

Kabal maintained his calm demeanor even if the current situation significantly unsettled him. Yes, he had reasons to help these humans — other than for the sole purpose of saving people — but he had believed to act out of a noble cause and not for his own person. Now that he thought of it, he had the impression that he did not do it for the citizens, but for himself. Worst, he felt it was normal that he could manipulate them to serve him.

"I see… As expected of Kabal-sama. There is always a meaning behind your actions. I think I have a better understanding of your plans now — so the citizens are also part of it ? Impressive. To think that you've anticipated that far… I can only be dazzled by the Supreme One's superior mind."

Kabal wasn't watching Ester as she said that — and hopefully because he had a poker face with big round eyes.

 _If only I had a plan… I wouldn't be randomly doing things and hoping for the best…_

The whole day, he had tried to maintain a perfect gesture and demeanor — but he was tired of doing so. That is why, out of this last sentence, Kabal couldn't help but let out a sigh of mental exhaustion as he continued along the road — a gesture misunderstood by Ester who thought that the Supreme One was bored of her ineptitude to understand his schemes. As a result, she took a frightened look while apologizing as fast as she could.

"I—I am so sorry for my ignorance. Your intellect far exceeds mine, but I promise I will work harder to have a better understanding of your goals. I know I should be ashamed to be so unaware as one of your servant — but please forgive me. I will do my possible to catch myself up."

Her reaction made Kabal took a questioned look.

His goals ? He was pretty sure he had made himself clear about what he wanted. Let it be to survive in this unknown world or to find somewhere he could feel safe — he had told these things to the elf. Of course, these were immediate objectives and, in the long term, he would want to explore the world as an adventurer — a long-lost dream finally coming true. But Ester was acting as if she had not understood at all.

So what did she have in mind ?

She probably thought of another extravagant aim for him. A plan that would never have occurred to him, even as a dream. But, even if she really had anything in mind, Kabal would never be sure of how Ester actually reasoned — plus he was too afraid to even ask her.

Still, it troubled him that, at the inverse, she could not read what he was thinking — it was odd that she had not yet found that he was far from her in term of intellect. His way of doing things should seem quite clumsy to her, not to say downright dumb. So why did she still trusted he had everything in the palm of his hand ? Her blindness surely had an end, and she would probably stop serving him as soon as she would discover the truth — but as of now, she seemed to be completely clueless.

Could it be that she had an extreme intelligence when it came to processing information, but when it came to anything else, she was below average ?

It would tie in with her artificial algorithm and explain her behavior. However, it would be improbable. The electronic data that Kabal implemented in Ester could not clarify her demeanor so easily. There was probably something else he missed, something so important that it could solve it all — but he couldn't put his hand on it.

 _Well, I guess I will find out the reason sooner or later._

For now, he took the idea out of his mind. He trusted that analyzing the elf was out of his capacity and, instead, he would just avoid making mistakes in front of Ester as much as possible. For that reason, he had to confirm that his pieces of information were consistent with hers — notably what he had learned from the citizens of the temple.

"Umu… May I know what else do you know about this kingdom ? I want to make sure my information are correct as well as checking who I should trust among the citizens."

At the question, Ester took a pleasured expression. Until now, she had progressively been looking so crestfallen — believing she was an incompetent servant — and it was the first time she had ever been showing a frightened look. But with the sudden interest that the Supreme One had put in her, she could only be overjoyed to be serving a purpose. Unhesitatingly, she advanced forward, making the silent promise not to disappoint Kabal.

"Yes ! Of course ! I hope I will not bore you with my lacking knowledge. I will try to be as concise as possible."

The elf took a pensive look, closing her eyes and reflecting a second or two on what she would say to her master.

"If I am correct, the kingdom is a monarchy only until recently, with an emperor at the head. But harvesting further knowledge was complicated because of the mere fact that something else existed is taboo. For that reason, all I could find consist of snippets of information."

"It doesn't matter, any knowledge is precious."

"I think so too. From what I could find, the current leader has divided the upper hierarchy into many ranks with the royal nobles being the highest. Sadly, they are keeping themselves secret, rarely showing themselves and transmitting their orders via intermediates they can trust. Thus, I couldn't gather more information on them; but I can tell that they are widely unappreciated by the citizens who abhor them because of their despotism."

Ester took a quick glance at Kabal's reaction, hoping she had correct information and seeking approval. But the only gesture she got from her master was to keep going on her explanation.

"Apart from this, it seems that it is highly punishable to talk about the past and even more to try to engage in a war against other humans. But, even with these difficulties, I managed to gather intel on their defensive and military strengths."

The elf took a scroll from her pocket and showed it to her master — demonstrating a purely disgusted look.

"The inhabitant of this world does not know what data crystals are and use these magic scrolls instead. This one holds one of their most powerful spells, barely hitting the 3rd tier. And that is not all, their strategies, types of equipment, magic knowledge and even their logistics are very limited compared to what we know. At most, they should have a magical knowledge and machinery of the second age."

Kabal watched the elf with a doubtful look.

The second age referred to a very ancient time in YGGDRASIL history, barely even known among the players. It was the equivalent of the Ancient Mesopotamian era in the real world — making these people kind of primate in term of technology. If these humans truly used technologies of the second age, it meant he could have been transported in YGGDRASIL's past instead of a new world — maybe in the early years of the DMMO-RPG.

With this discovery, he watched his surrounding with a thoughtful expression. Would these buildings be of the second age ? He had no idea… But that would clarify a lot of things.

"F— Finally, I got my hand on a map of the territory. Here, you can see that the Lasiroth Kingdom is located on a middle-sized island, far from any continent."

In front of her master, Ester opened a parchment with delicate lettering and drawings, the whole thing forming a detailed chart of the kingdom's geographic area. Out of curiosity, Kabal leaned closer to observe the region and, even if he couldn't understand the writings, he had no problem understanding the map.

 _Woah. Why didn't I think of buying such thing… That should have been the priority._

"The land is quite limited in size, but I would still say that there are around 1.5 million citizens in the kingdom, making it a rather big country for a civilization of humans. However, there are some telluric activities toward the east, so I trust there should be something there."

Kabal watched her with a dumb face — trying to hide his astonishment.

He already knew that he was on a small part of land thanks to the information brought by his phoenix, and with the recent information, he trusted that it was some sort of "beginner area".

But — it had saddened him a lot.

There could have been other islands beyond the ocean, but the humans had built no ships to travel the ocean— as if the world consisted of nothing but water apart from this land. That possibility had been horrifying to Kabal because it meant that they were shut in a tiny area with practically nowhere to go, nothing to discover or nowhere to hide. It would have been like living in a big cage — wandering a pointless region with barely anything to revive the flame of the adventure. What reason would there to strive once again for so little ? He had no envy to repeat the meaningless life he had been living in the other world.

That is why he wanted to believe Ester. He wanted to believe there was something beyond this island because it was _exactly_ what he needed. The thought was enough to bring a big smile to his face, and Kabal got excited about the idea of exploring an area unknown to these humans — the latter probably not reckless enough to explore the sea.

As Kabal demonstrated his happy smile, the anxious elf watched him with a worried face — waiting for her master to approve her. It brought his mind back to reality as he remembered that he had not yet approved Ester's information.

"Ah— forgive me. I was thinking of something else. Your information seems more than correct. You worked beyond my expectations so you shouldn't worry about that. The mere fact that you are helping me is enough to make me happy."

He stopped for a while as a bright smile gradually formed on Ester's face.

"Mhh… I even think that you deserve a reward for your service and trouble. Tell me, what do you want ?"

The eyes of Ester suddenly became lit with a spark of delight. Nothing could have made her more enchanted than what she had just heard — for a servant of the Supreme One's to be praised to the point of being asked what she would want as an award, it was the most exhilarating situation she could ever be in.

"The simple fact that I could be of use to the Supreme One is enough as a reward ! I wouldn't dare to ask for something else ! You can use me in any way you like !"

Inevitably, it made Kabal uneasy — especially the last sentence. A thought had crossed his mind, an image about another pleasuring way to use her, but he quickly forgot about it. There was no way he would use his power to do such things — even though he couldn't deny the fact that the inhabitants of this world, and especially Ester, were abnormally alluring and charming.

"Aerm… I would feel wrong not rewarding you for your efforts. I do not want you to feel that you are enslaved to me; so take your time, and choose what you want. If it can make you feel better, let's say I ordered you to pick a reward."

Ester wanted to retaliate — but she couldn't. Now that Kabal had made it clear that it was an order, she had no choice but to think of what she wanted.

Deeply sunk into her reflection, the elf went through an internal struggle as she watched the gentle smile of her master. You could see all sort of expression on the elf's face, going from doubtful to pensive, until she finally stumbled into a conclusion. Her eyes lit with sparkles, she observed her master — expressing her words in a small voice.

"Y— Yes, there would be something that I would want… But I'm unsure if I have the right to ask…"

Ester was looking at Kabal with hesitant eyes — as if she had done something wrong and awaited her judgment. Seeing the elf's cute face, her master took a bright expression as he pushed her to spit it out.

"Go ahead, and tell me."

The elf was still hesitant, even after Kabal's approbation, but she knew it would be indecent to keep her master's waiting — so, she muttered her next words, still with an uncertain voice.

"C— can I be allowed to take one of these humans as a slave ?"

The smile vanished from Kabal's face.

That wouldn't be hard to give her such reward since he only needed to tell Ester she could take a slave among the humans. However, it would be extremely bad for his image if someone were to find out — and they would most likely become criminals.

 _Wait, wait, wait…_

 _Why am I thinking like that !? It's not like I really care about a stranger I know nothing about… But why the hell would I believe it is okay to enslave someone._

Kabal stopped walking as his expression displayed his confusion.

He wasn't pondering if it was bad or not to take one of the citizens as a slave — but he was evaluating the benefits of such thing. Worse, his esteem for the people of this world was so low that he slowly realized at what point he was actually utterly careless about what would happen to them. It was as if he could only see them as NPCs instead of real livings. The reason that pushed him to have this reasoning was yet clear — he was aware that he still considered himself to be in a game. But it wasn't even shaking him to think like that, it just felt … natural.

"...And for what purpose would a human slave serves you ?"

The reaction was near instant, Ester took an apologizing look believing that she had asked a meaningless reward.

"Ahh.. Forgive me, I don't really need it — but I thought it could be useful to test the potential of the human as well as making out the truth about their history. But if you deem that I am not worthy of pursuing that selfish desire of mine, I can discard it at any moment. It is just that … I love understanding the unknown things around me..."

It seemed that the only thing Ester wanted was to acquire knowledge about this world — and it was almost the only thing that made her different from just a mere servant. Surely, refusing her this pleasure would be the same as rejecting her personality. How could he deny such a request when it was her sole desire apart from serving ? Even though, he couldn't let her take a human slave like that…

 _Who knows what she would do to them…_

Kabal was still human and had empathy for these poor citizens who could be enduring anything in the hand of the elf.

Undecided on what he should do, his eyes landed on Ester — trying to judge if he could let her take a human slave or if he should let her pick another reward. And as his regard lied on her beautiful face, the elf suddenly took a sharp look while tensing. She observed something in a dark street for a second or two and, to the astonishment of her master, she unexpectedly began to cast spells of an unrelenting power.

"[Anti Magic Field] ! [Lex Divina] ! [Sanctuary] !"

Kabal quickly understood the meaning of these words. These were 6th or 7th tier spells that Ester would not use lightly and without reason.

— [Anti Magic Field] was a perfect choice to inhibit the magic of an enemy and create an area where the latter couldn't cast anything. She had decided to combine it with [Sanctuary] which was a really powerful ability used to seal the opponent in a light prison from where he couldn't get out unless the caster left the area — or if someone used an item or a spell to dispel it.

But [Lex Divina] was far stronger than that, and revealed the potential strength of the opponent.

Literally speaking, it meant the "Law of God" and was used on a single person for a short period of time. The caster asked the god to change the rule affecting the opponent in a very specific way — in this one case, it had been used to prevent anyone from interfering with the target in question. That way, no one would be able to teleport the man away or to cleanse the two other spell Ester had cast.

It meant that she had probably detected an enemy and had taken the decision to arrest him. Quickly after understanding this, Kabal took his spear in his hands and began using several defensive abilities. But it seemed it was useless. The elf was already relaxing as she muttered to herself in a confused expression.

"...Did he just transform into someone else or did I break the illusion with my spells ? I thought for sure that we were facing some sort of battle maid… Anyway, no one should dare to spy on the Supreme One."

As she recovered her usual expression, Ester angrily shouted to the shadow in the back of the street.

"What do you want — you who dare oppose us ?! Answer quickly, and I shall give you a quick and painless death."

Kabal watched the back of the alley with big eyes — trying to see what was the cause of this ruckus. From what he could distinguish, he successfully identified a rounded man imprisoned by Ester abilities — terrified by his current situation in the middle of his big cage of light.

"How rude ! Do not make the Supreme One wait any longer and explain yourself if you don't want to experience great suffering !"

Getting kicked back to his mind by Ester's menace, the men suddenly focused his eyes on the elf. His horrified glance spoke for himself as he uttered incomprehensible words.

"I— I have done nothing wrong, y—you have to trust me. I—I don't understand what happened ! Please don't kill me..."

In the meantime, Kabal had approached the trapped human and watched him with a dubious air. Their opponent seemed so weak watching from up close — shivering of fear with his febrile arms. But Ester would surely not attack someone if she wasn't sure he was an enemy — so who was he ?

"Ester, can I get an explanation ?"

"This insect was spying on us when I detected him. He was under two high ranked abilities — [Complete Invisibility] and [Shadow Steps] — so I doubt he's as normal as he's pretending to be. He was about to use a spell when I saw him."

The men suddenly reacted when he heard Ester story.

"I— I wouldn't do that ! I'm just a guy from the milice ! I can't even use a magic item… Please... I was just sleeping peacefully until I was woken up by your prison of light."

 _… Is he really lying ? It seems like he's telling the truth to me._

Ester's anger went up another degree as her killing intent directly attacked the spirit of the militiaman in front of her.

"Are you trying to make me a fool in front of the Supreme One ?! Your lies are devoid of senses ! [Greater Magic Detection] !"

At the end of the elf's incantation, a flock of light particles went flying in the air with the man's cries.

"Eeeyyaaaiiihhhhh !"

The despising look of the elf rested on the terrified spy as Kabal instinctively grasped the sense of the sparkles. These were indeed related to the abilities Ester had mentioned — meaning that she had told the truth. Still, what she used to retaliate was a bit of an overreaction. That man was surely not strong enough to endure such powerful spells — but was he really as weak as he was trying to show ?

"Enough, Ester. I want to check the power of that man before doing anything else, can you use [Discern Enemy] ?"

The elf watched her master with a terrified expression as she slowly began to understand something.

"I—I'm so sorry ! I did not think he could have been a decoy ! Allow me to take full responsibility for my stupidity."

Kabal could only watch Ester with a confused expression as she began dispelling [Lex Divina]. What was she talking about ? She has had a good reaction by capturing this spy in a straightforward and efficient manner. There was nothing that their opponent could do now that he was under the influence of [Sanctuary] — so what did the elf feared ? Out of curiosity, he observed Ester casting the spell he had mentioned, and as soon as she finished the incantation, her eyes were wide open in dismay.

"Forgive me, Kabal-sama ! The opponent is wiser than what I thought — this man is not the one who used these spells. It seems that the enemy has replicated their buffs on a citizen before swapping place with him…"

Kabal's heart skipped a beat as he realized what was going on. If the enemy wasn't this man and was still out there — using such strategy — did it mean he was in mortal danger ? Or was he still paranoid ? No — he couldn't think of that right now, the priority was to get back to a safe place.

"Get us out of here, Ester ! Bring that man along, we are too unprepared to face anyone at the moment !"

"Understood. [Mass Teleportation] !"

The three of them instantly got teleported to a vast plain with a view on a big lake.

"W— Where are we ? W— What did you just do ?"

It was the man who, out of incomprehension, had expressed his worries.

"We're in front of Tomes."

Kabal had instinctively answered the question because he knew where they were and wanted to confirm his thoughts.

"Yes, Kabal-sama. I have chosen this place because I thought it was the best spot to ponder what we know as well as observing the city."

"..."

Having his situation confirmed, Kabal sunk deep down into his thoughts — trying to find a plan to face this unknown situation. After a slight moment of reflection, his gaze turned to the elf as he began giving his orders.

"Ester, use your vision to cover us and deploy your best barrier on our position. If it's not too much to ask you, we need as much buff as you can do — even this man. He's our only source of information, and from now on he will be the slave you asked for. But you are forbidden to mistreat him."

"Understood, I will do as you command."

As the elf began using complex pattern of spells, Kabal took two weirds sticks from his inventory and started watching them.

 _I wanted to do some experiments before doing this, but I have no choice… Survival comes first._

These were cash shop items whose utility was to reset the cooldown of an item. They were precious and extremely rare, but Kabal was cornered to use them for a matter which couldn't wait — he wanted to summon NPCs from the guild with the [Friend Calling Horn].

He took the trinket from his inventory and began preparing himself mentally to face the unknown.

The people he was about to summon had known him for their entire life while he had no idea of their personalities. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes if he needed their help and, for that reason, he had decided not to summon all of them in one go. Instead, he had chosen to only gather three of them. The logic was simple. First, it would be dumb to waste such precious cash shop items for something that could have waited a day or two. Then, he didn't have the force to face eleven Ester at the same time — although if they were only three, he might be able to do it.

With all the courage he could find, he began summoning the NPCs he had thought would be the most suited for this situation.

The first one he called was Kára. She was a Valkyrie solely focusing on defensive abilities and using a giant shield for her only weapon. Even [World Savior] — one of the most powerful World-Class Items of YGGDRASIL, belonging to the Twenties — wouldn't be able to kill her in one hit if she were to use her best defensive capabilities.

The second one was Enigma. He was a Doppelganger whose form always changed from one hour to another. His creator had chosen this specific race because the NPC was mostly using thief's and ninja's classes — and he thought it would be cool to have a ninja with an ever-changing body.

The last one was the most powerful NPC of the guild in term of destruction and sheer annihilation of any lifeforms. The guild had called him Fistfurry because of his monk classes that made his fists the most dangerous thing in the world. But the fun part was that he was a werewolf. Once the NPC would transform into his second form, any opponent would profoundly regret making an assumption of his race when the power of the monk tripled.

As they slowly appeared in front of Kabal along with the various white particles from the spell, the three of them bowed down in haste with Enigma talking first.

"[We answered your call, Supreme one. What are your orders ?]"

With a little "hmpf" from Fistfurry, they silently waited for their leader to talk. The latter took a deep breath of relaxation as he glanced to the three familiar forms he had seen so many times. Their face conveyed a different feeling from his time in YGGRADSIL — they were more alive than ever. Apart from Fistfurry who displayed a dumb expression, the two others were as real as Kabal could ever imagine — making him take an uncertain glance. His mind ready, he addressed himself to the three monsters standing in front of him with the calmest voice he could make.

"G—Greetings and welcome to this new world. You can stand up, my children. I called you to this place because I need your powers. In fact, I expect a lot from you — as we are in a delicate situation. Ester, can you explain it to them ?"

That was his plan. Kabal had no idea on how he should act as a ruler and, thus, he would delegate the making of decisions to Ester. The elf would surely do what would be needed for his sake and in a way better way than what he could do. Harboring a smile of confidence, he watched the elf putting one hand on her chest as she began explaining what she knew to the three Guardians.

"As you may have already guessed, Kabal-sama does not plan to get back to Erebus yet — even though I'm sure he could do so at any time. Instead, the Supreme One has taken an interest in this world and want to investigate further for his entertainment. Your role as a Guardian does not change, and you know very well what to do."

Kára elevated herself in the sky with her wings fully stretched and her muscles tensed. She stopped mid-air, presenting the full wingspan of her body, and began talking with a Swedish accent — her words resonating through the land.

"No one will even approach Kabal-sama with me alive. I guarantee it."

"Nice to hear that statement. Then let me disclose the current situation. I should have some understanding of the Supreme One's plan and, although it is out of my capability to reach such a level of deduction, I may be able to enlighten you with my knowledge."

This declaration picked Kabal's curiosity as he leaned forward to have a better view on Ester — her gaze still staring at the three guardians in front of her.

"To progress more smoothly in this world, we might need to take control of the island we're currently standing on. We have observed the weakness of its inhabitants, and with this knowledge, I can infer that the task should be uncomplicated and quick to carry on, but nonetheless crucial as we need to stay discreet in the process."

It did not even surprise Kabal as he listened to this unsettling declaration — he had anticipated such an unrealistic aim.

 _…So that was what she had in mind ? I should have guessed it. Although I would appreciate if she talked about the current danger..._

He felt that it would be an achievable goal if he left everything in Ester's hand — but a part of him also knew that he didn't have the strength to actually play the role of a leader in front of so many people. The weight he would have to carry was just too heavy. Yet, he had no envy to contradict the elf. In Kabal's eyes, the island subconsciously represented nothing else than the tutorial to this world — and he just wanted to advance further, even if it meant to take on an annoying main questline. For that reason, he did not interrupt Ester as she continued her explanation.

"As for the immediate, some worms dared to oppose Kabal-sama in this city. You know what does this mean. We are guardians, and our purpose is to protect him to the best we can — so we can not let that pass. I do not have the power to tell you what to do with our opponents, as it is the Supreme One's privilege, but it is evident that we should annihilate their pathetic antagonism."

With his mouth displaying a furious expression, Enigma nodded to this explanation while Fistfurry stayed completely silent and still — his expression leaving no indication of his mood. The elf now turned to Kabal, her eyes burning in fire.

"Should we act now ?"

A bit dumbfounded to be pushed in the conversation like that — since he had been an observer until now — Kabal quickly thought of a way to subside himself from such decision-making.

"Aerm… Well..."

A sparkle of illumination struck his mind, and he directly exploited what he just thought to be a good idea.

"You surely have an idea of what I was planning to do ? Am I right ?"

With an uncertain look of one yet to be trialed, Ester gasped at the question.

"...I—I may have an idea, but Kabal-sama's schemes are elaborate and far-sighted. What I managed to understand must be far from what you could expect — a fraction of your plans at most."

"Hmm... Then, I will let everything in your hand, Ester. I trust you, and I'm sure that you will take the right decisions. I hereby name you at the head of the Guardians. As long as I can keep my promise to Golvarn, you will not disappoint me."

The eyes of the elf widely opened — as if she could not believe what she just heard. Quickly, she bowed deeply with her right hand touching the muddy ground and expressing herself in an emotional voice.

"T—That is a great honor ! I have no words to express how grateful I am to be recognized by the Supreme One with such a title. I promise will do my best to follow your expectations !"

"Raise your head. There is no need to bow down at every declaration that I make. I wouldn't think of anyone more suited to the task as of now, and I'm sure you will carry it out smoothly."

Ester lifted her head and watched Kabal with a happy expression.

"I understand, Kabal-sama ! However, it is only natural for anyone to bow before your might and kindness. Forgive me for this whim, but I will inevitably stop once again to pay the Supreme One its due respect — it is a given and absolute truth."

Finishing her sentence, Ester slowly elevated from the ground and turned to the other guardians with the most severe look she could ever take. Stopping in front of Kára, she began explaining the course of action that they should take to ensure Kabal's security. Even if Fistfurry stayed completely still the whole time, the two others guardians had their eyes riveted on Ester as she disclosed her plans.

Occasionally, they shifted their regard to their master and nodded as if he was the instigator of such a plan — praising him with sentences like "As expected of Kabal-sama." The latter couldn't help but watch the whole scene in silence, trying to observe everything he could — and especially the terrifying monk who had near to zero reaction.

 _What the hell is this guy thinking ? If only Crestavus was there with me… He's the one who designed him after all._

His mind quickly shifted back to the elf as she continued her explanation. In no time, it seemed that she had planned a detailed procedure for each of the servants to follow, although she never really constrained her master in any way — it was clear that she would not dare to do such a bold thing. Slowly understanding her plan, Kabal couldn't help but feel more and more amazed by the ingenuity of Ester's mind. Usually, he could see the flaws in any strategy — or at least what could go wrong — but what he just heard just seemed perfect and totally reliable.

 _That's insane. And I am supposed to lead such a brilliant mind ? The task is just impossible..._

"Is that satisfying enough for you, Kabal-sama ?"

"O—Of course. I was not expecting such a brilliant strategy, but I am very happy with what you have found. This is exactly what I hoped for, Ester."

In return to these words, the elf could not help but blush and shyly look away from Kabal.

"You are too kind — I do not deserve such praise. Certainly, you had already seen through my mind when you asked me to take on this role. I merely followed the indications you kindly sat up for me to put me in the right way — this behavior is hardly laudable..."

Interrupting the elf as she was about to continue, Kabal talked in a now confident voice — now that he knew what to do.

"You're underestimating yourself, Ester… Anyway, let's leave that matter aside for now — and let's get started. I think you all know what to do by now."

The four of them nodded as Kabal turned to the city with a determined look.

"As for me, I'm going to keep my promise and pay a visit to Golvarn. I just got an idea that might profit us."


	6. Chapter 5 - The hand of the Supreme One

**Chapter 5 — The hand of the Supreme one is extending**

* * *

 **Author's words**

Whew. This chapter has been written way faster than the previous. I think I'm becoming used to it. To be honest, there should be 3 or 4 chapter left until the end — maybe more ? It will all depend on how many words I can make out of the different parts of the story — plus there are some characters that are yet to appear. Although I am sure the end will surprise you ;)

As always, I thank the ones who are still reading my nonsense, and I promise that I will make things as entertaining as possible.

— Sasugasm

* * *

 **Part 1**

An orc was patrolling the top of a castle's wall in the late evening. No sign of battle could be distinguished around the place, yet the corpses still decorated the entire area, most of them demonstrating a pale figure of horror. These had been the victims of a powerful spell, a terrific one — so much that no orcs dared to touch the bodies, afraid to be cursed of the same spell in their turn.

Dodging the many corpses laying in the ground, the patroller quickly arrived at the end of his round — seeing his replacement coming his way. Not without a great contentment to finally be able to rest, he approached his partner who demonstrated a dark face — quite an unusual look for an orc. The newcomer was obviously terrified of something, and he howled at his partner as soon as they exchanged looks.

"Stand back ! Who are you ?!"

The orc couldn't help but laugh loudly at this reaction. The place was certainly scary, but not enough to make a warrior paranoid.

"Ah ! Ah ! Ah ! What are you afraid of ! If you do not touch the body, there is no reason to fear anything ! You are quite pathetic for a warrior. You won't earn any feat with that attitude."

But the frightened warrior had no envy to laugh at the moment, his regard was that of a despaired being. There was no fear in his expression but only misery — as if he found himself to be in the most hopeless situation an orc could be.

"You don't understand ! There is _something,_ it killed the others ! This place is haunted by a great undead, I'm sure of it. I knew that spell was unnatural, it must have created an elder lich !"

The other orc slowly took an unamused face.

"Hoy, hoy hoy. Don't make fun of that. Elder liches are a legend of our clan, do not crack such a bad joke — I don't want to end into trouble."

He finished his sentence and sat back on an excrescence of the rampart, stretching his muscles to relax from the long patrol he just accomplished.

"I—I'm not joking, we should warn the absolute ruler before we all die ! Screw Fornost ! It is not worth the lives of a whole regiment. We just have to walk south for a while, it will be fast."

The reaction of the warrior was beginning to cast a veil of doubts on him. What could have terrified this guy so much ? A skeleton ? Inexperienced combatants could easily get afraid after such a battle when the undead rose from the fresh corpses — although these were incredibly weak and a breeze for any orcs. As an elder warrior, he could understand that inner fear of the non-living, but it was the first time he actually saw someone react so strongly to such an event.

Drawing the conclusion that his companion was just being a coward, he could not resist the envy of mocking him — but as he was about to make fun of the terrified orc, something made him swallow his words. There was just enough time for him to stand up and fall desperately on the ground as tried to run for his life. The atmosphere went from cool to unbearable in a split second as the killing intent of a superior being was attacking every fiber of their souls in their desperate attempt to flee. In the confusion of his situation, the experienced warrior kept his head low, his hands shielding his neck, and tried to understand what was happening.

Observing his surrounding, his eyes went from left to right, quickly checking his surrounding in an attempt to discover what was happening. And when he finally distinguished something, a shiver ran down his spine. He stared directly into a deep void, where a face to which he could put no meaning was answering his glance. From this abyss, a smile slowly formed — taunting the two warriors in a clear way — and the shadow began laughing at them.

"An elder lich ? Amusing. However, I am a servant of the Supreme Ones, remember it in the afterlife."

The killing intent grew so oppressive that the warrior began passing out. His last bit of resistance faded out, and the last sight the orc ever witnessed was that of a quick blow from the shadow — killing his friend and himself instantly. Casually sheathing his short blade after his savage behavior, their murderer took back a regular expression — as if he had just finished a chore.

"These were the last. Seems like this region is composed of weaklings, it will be easy to take control of that place."

Looking at the two dead orcs with a disgusted expression, the face of the shadow slowly changed into that of an orc, his whole body mimicking their attires and weapons. If he had any powerful enemies among the warriors, these would undoubtedly mistake him for one of them — the power of the doppelganger race being undetectable and quick to apply. His transformation complete, he advanced toward the center of the stronghold with a smile unfitting of an orc warrior — and muttering to himself in the process.

"This will make a perfect bastion for Kabal-sama. I, Enigma, will carry on the task which was assigned to me !"

With an extraordinary speed, the shadow servant quickly jumped from buildings to buildings with an unbelievable agility and, before anyone could see him, he landed in front of the castle's keep. There, Enigma began watching the big entrance where the rest of the orcs awaited him — he knew that the orcs were residing in the fort to manage the patrols and the defenses of their newly found city and he wanted to kick them out.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a second and undertook a change to match his expression with that of a terrified orc. The now perfectly disguised warrior ran into the hold, faking an alarmed face.

"We must leave, now ! The others— they are all dead ! I saw it ! They were killed by a shadow monster !"

While a good part of the orcs laughed, some of them began gathering around the newcomer who cried wolf. Out of the mass, a widely painted warrior took the first step and began addressing him.

"Calm down ! You must have seen an undead. Unless it is a necromancer, such thing are common after a slaug—"

"No ! You don't understand ! It is way stronger than a mere necromancer, we hold no chance against it ! We must leave, it is coming !"

The orc took a more serious expression as he began talking in a more severe voice.

"...I hope you do realize what you are claiming ? If that is the truth, we will require a great force to kill this monster. It is probably a vampire or a lich."

Enigma knew that the orc would have reacted this way, but he had already done the necessary thanks to Ester's instruction. In fact, it was evident that they would not fear the threat of a powerful monster but rather face it to prove their courage. That is why it had been chosen to appeal to their rational side and make them take the choice to back up from Fornost out of their free will.

"We cannot fight it ! It killed everyone outside — we're the only one remaining !"

The eye of the warrior widely opened.

Enigma knew that he could have killed them all and never talk about it again — but as Ester said, their opponents could be one of these orcs. That is why he had to test their strength before doing anything.

Furthermore, if he let them live, it would send a clear message throughout the kingdom — the message that a powerful being had taken his residence in Fornost and should not be disturbed. From this simple maneuver, they would get their hand on a strong place for the Supreme One to establish himself, gauging the potential strength of the orc as well as challenging the one who dared to oppose Kabal. With the added bonus of creating a fake rumor about a haunted place for the curious who would think about visiting the area.

These advantages composed many reasons to let the orc live, and the easiest way to make them flee the stronghold was to have their chieftain call out the order. A task of a pure simplicity for a doppelganger who could transform into any lifeform. In fact, he had already killed their chieftain and took his place — permitting a perfect way to make it believable. And, now was about the time to make use of that.

A great warrior with paint all over his body entered the room, panting and hardly standing from numerous wounds which caused large drops of blood to flow all over his corpse.

"Vulug ! What happened ?!"

The wounded orc painfully advanced in the room — using the last bit of force he had.

"W—We.. must... leave. We have no chance... against this power. Warn the absolute ruler for me..."

All of this was deceit and lies. Enigma had created two [Shadow Clone] to lure the orcs out — the real Enigma staying at Kabal's side for his protection. These were mere illusions which were easy to break, but still had sufficient power to manipulate the panicking warriors. Undoubtedly, the trick seemed quite successful as no orcs would question the order that their leader just pronounced. They quickly hurried into the room — taking their weapons and armors — and the lieutenant of the seemingly dying chieftain approached his commander to help him stand.

"Hold on ! We need you, Vulug ! We will do as you ask. Here, no one is stronger than you anyway… But don't you dare die in my hands !"

Even with the ambient chaos and the fear gradually building, the order of their chieftain could have been insufficient for the orcs to retreat. With this possibility in mind, Enigma triggered the last part of his plan — destined to deeply root the idea of leaving in the orc's spirit.

The [Shadow Clone] which had been entering the room first began contorting in pain while falling to the ground — smoke coming out of his mouth. Enigma was using a weak ninja ability at the dread of the warriors which could only see one of their companion being replaced by a big cloud of dark substance. From this simple trick, the warriors who withstood the scene instinctively thought that they were attacked — and they could feel the impending danger of their situation.

"Quick ! Get out of here ! Do not breath this dark air, it might be toxic."

The orcs left the keep in panic, leaving no room for them to pack their things. On the lookout with their weapons at their hands, they quickly regrouped in front of the large building and waited for the instructions of their lieutenant. The latter was clicking his tongue as he precariously transported his leader.

"Tss.. This might be caused by the spell of the absolute ruler. We need to ask his advice before trying anything. In the meanwhile, it is too dangerous to stay here. Let's not die recklessly — we have to leave Fornost."

He turned to three orcs with pale green skin and began ordering them around.

"You three, you will stay in the plains outside the city and observe. You know what to do if you find anything worthy enough to report."

With the warriors barely nodding in fear, the lieutenant looked around and searched for a sign of life — ally or enemy. They were supposed to be a thousand holding the city, but if the other were dead, it meant that their workforce had been shrunk down to no more than two hundred. He couldn't believe that an entity could kill a whole garrison without being spotted and reported earlier — a lot of them were probably alive and just unaware of the situation. Turning his gaze to another orc with a lot of white symbols on his face, he spoke in a more uncertain voice than before.

"Zurga, you're the fastest among us. Roam the city and search for survivors to gather, we will be waiting for you south of Fornost. If you don't come back after two hours, we will consider you dead, and we will leave to join the main expedition. Is that ok ?"

The orc lowered his head and nodded to the order before running up the streets. The others watched him leave and began their march toward the gates — the tension rising as the silence weighted on the small company.

Enigma had won.

The orcs were leaving, and the place would remain empty for enough time to serve as the new bastion of the Supreme One. Yet, that was not the most terrific part of Ester's plan. They had won a stronghold, but the latter only served as a backup plan.

* * *

 **Part 2**

In the descending sun of the afternoon, Kabal and Fistfurry roamed the streets of Tomes, slowly advancing toward the castle. As they walked with a regular pace and carrying a certain aura of grandeur, the former had an incredibly nervous face.

 _Why is this guy making me so uncomfortable… He stayed silent_ _ever s_ _ince I summoned him. Talk to me ! Say something ! We may be in danger, but that's not a reason to_ _remain_ _completely mute. I'm even beginning to miss having Ester by my side..._

He took a quick glance at the monk at his side, trying to decrypt what the Guardian was thinking. For his only answer, the latter opened his mouth wide open and demonstrated the most awkward smile Kabal had ever seen — making him shift his regard on the road as quickly as possible.

 _What the hell ?! What is it supposed to mean ? This is frightening._

As the situation was getting awkward, Kabal couldn't help but walk subconsciously faster toward his goal — trying to get things done as quickly as possible to return to a more lively follower. He was alone with Fistfurry because the other Guardians had left him to carry the different facets of Ester's plan. They were enforcing the first part of her grand scheme which consisted of taking over the island — all the while guaranteeing a perfect safety for their master.

At the moment, they were currently trying to find the spy from earlier and four aspects were played in that direction.

The first one was to give their opponent a bait to get hooked on. Kabal had chosen to play that part — facing a significant resistance from the Guardians who thought it was indecent to let the Supreme One in the most endangered position. What decided them is that the latter wanted to see Golvarn because of his promise. As such, Fistfurry had been chosen to follow him — being the strongest bodyguard they could think of.

Kára and Ester played the second aspect of the plan.

They used the Valkyrie inherent ability to fly with Ester's passive [Falcon Eye]. The two of them roamed the sky with an unfailing vigilance on the city and paying particular attention to their master — ready to dive into the streets to help him. They could see anyone entering or leaving the city — gauging their strength at the same time — and were ready to react at any anomaly. Additionally, Ester had cast several spells to delay any instant movement abilities that their opponent could use — like [Teleportation] or [Gate]. In order not to drain her mana, she had used intricate volumes to cover the whole area — sustaining her energy thanks to a supportive ability of the Valkyrie.

With this strategy, and if the spy had not left Tomes yet, he would not be able to do so now.

Enigma was playing the two others aspect of the plan alone. He had used his [Shadow Clone] ability to split himself in three, assigning each one of his clones to a different task. The two images had been sent to Fornost — to conquer it and make it a safe location for the guardians to backup if their plan failed. In its turn, the real one was intensively roaming the streets of Tomes in search of a strong being — having direct contact with Ester to relay his information and to permit reaction at any change.

With Ester in the sky and Enigma on the ground, their enemies had no chance of escaping the city. The Guardians could go through the town with a fine-toothed comb and they would assuredly stumble upon the unlucky spy at some point. The only thing that could save him now would be that he had already left — but even such thing would be beneficial for Kabal. If the enemy had already disappeared from the city, it would most likely mean that he was an outsider or the servant of a greater force which had no relation to the humans. The other possibility would be that their opponent lacked knowledge about them and had retreated to a safe location in the interim of gaining further information — meaning that he estimated Kabal to be a serious threat.

The target of all these shenanigans could not help but be impressed one more time as he recalled them.

Thinking of it, Ester had successfully conceived a scheme which perfectly fulfilled the primary objectives of their campaign. In fact, she had considered the future — this small operation being the first part of many brilliant processes to reach the ultimate goal of conquering the island. She already held a greater plan in mind, a large-scale scheme which made their current effort a joke compared to it.

In the face of this frightening aptitude, Kabal was acknowledgedly letting himself carried by the flow of Ester's intellect. He believed he just had to relay his will to the elf for her to actually manage everything in a better way than he would ever have. What else could he do in the sight of such an inventive mind ? He did not have the intelligence nor the determination to be on par with the genius of Ester. Letting everything in her hand was probably the best decision he had ever taken — and he had no regret doing so.

Kabal halted as the town hall where Golvarn wanted to meet him could now be sighted. What the noble wanted to discuss there was a mystery, but it probably was of a proper importance — making him wonder what tone he should take.

 _I will have to play that role once again. Maybe I should take example on this noble ?_

The way to behave himself was unknown to Kabal as the world never prepared him for this kind of meeting — but he had to undergo this session, even if the idea did not please him very well. In the future, he would probably assist tons of these encounters if he kept his role and Ester's plan worked out. For that reason, he had to learn quickly and efficiently if he did not want to fall behind. The quality of a leader did not smile to him, he knew it, yet Kabal couldn't retreat now that he had chosen to play that role. He could only push his mind to the limit and do the necessary to carry this weight on his shoulders — even if it meant that he would have to go crazy.

It was as if he had no choice —

The guardians, this world, this atmosphere, the expectation of his followers — everything pushed him to have this sort of thinking. And Kabal trusted that he would be free of such constraints as soon as he would have taken control of his situation — as soon as he would be the master of the island. Deep inside, he just wanted to explore that eastern continent and become the character he had created in YGGDRASIL — to become the spear master himself — and enjoy his new life. Surely, that was what his friends would have done if they had been in the same situation ?

They would surely have said, "To hell these political conflicts and problems, let's go and explore".

In fact, if he really were as mighty as the world tended to make him appear, he could just get enough power to simply ignore the things that gave him these headaches and focus on his real aim — having fun. Because that was essentially what power was. Power was the ability to do, to make someone else do or not to do. If he took control of this island, Kabal would have all the tools he needed to safely explore the world and do what he wanted. As for the kingdom, he would simply let Ester manage the rest in a caring and comprehensive way.

Reflecting on this thought, he was honestly not befitting for such a role.

Why would this world give him such power ? He was clearly wasting it. His knowledge could be used to enhance the life of the many inhabitants of this region — but that was not what he wanted. Kabal even found himself thinking that he would rather be one of the Guardians than the Supreme One they thought him to be. Getting ordered around was not so bad after all — at least if the commander was kind.

 _*sigh* What should I do ?_

 _I entangled myself in such an awkward situation. I feel like I'm becoming one of these villains we see in the stories — perhaps this is what led them to such radical choices ? If only I had someone else who could understand and guide me..._

 _Is it a bad thing to be wanting to be free of responsibilities ? It is not like I'm about to make people sad — if I trust Ester's information. The citizens won't get harmed, and they will even know a decent evolution of their quality of life... This is surely a good thing !_

 _Yet, I am wondering if I made the right choice… Conquering a whole kingdom seems like a bit of an overreaction. Why would I agree on such a thing ?_

…

 _Well, people says that the best defense is attack… For this one and only time, I will take the risk to make sure I am not about to get murdered, and I will leave these people in peace after._

Relaxing his mind before entering the stone building as he had made his decision, Kabal recalled his knowledge from the ancient world — about how nobility worked. All of these were foggy concepts, preconceived idea of nobles at most — and certainly nothing worth of use. Yet he had to make coherence out of it if he wanted to prepare himself.

Closing his eyes, he recited two or three sentences in his head, and finally took a deep breath before entering the town hall.

"..."

 _...Shouldn't there be someone to welcome me ?_

He looked around with an uncertain look — watching the delicate works of woods and tapestry supplanted by a massive chandelier encrusted with gems. He was about to call out for someone in this marvelous place, but a guard interrupted his action as he accosted him in a hurry.

"I am sorry for the lack of reception. The Lord of this city is currently receiving a messenger who carries the king's orders, but he will still receive you."

 _I will have to play safe — this message might be related to the spy from earlier._

"Show me the way."

The guard launched a quick glance at Fistfurry before turning to his destination with a frightened look — the monk had probably made a great impact on him, displaying his top tier armor.

Silently walking in front, the man led Kabal to a big room with a large table composed of many seats — although very few were actually used. Golvarn was sitting on the biggest chair in the middle with Bale at his right, and Kabal finally understood the rank of these men as they sat in the most luxurious chairs of this magnificent room. In front of them stood a frail man that they were apparently receiving as a guest — carrying a bag with many parchments.

"We understood the message, you can say to the emperor that we will follow the orders. You can leave now, I have another guest."

The messenger nodded and bowed before leaving the room silently.

"Take a chair, Kabal. Your follower can also sit, we have plenty of places around this unnecessarily huge table."

The noble took a quick glance behind Kabal as he took a questioned expression.

"...I do not see the elf, is she here ?"

"She's carrying a task I gave her. She won't assist this meeting."

Golvarn smiled at this declaration — as if it just confirmed something which had burned into his mind until this moment. Waiting for his guest to sit, he stroked his mustache with a delighted look. As soon as Kabal and Fistfurry finished to take place in their respective seats, the noble suddenly took a different tone while looking at his guest with sharp eyes.

"I might be a bit straightforward, but are you the one under the attack of Fornost ?"

Kabal stopped moving at the declaration.

 _How does he know ?! Enigma sent his clones two hours ago ! There is no way he would discover such thing so quickly… No. That's impossible. He must be bluffing._

"May I know why are you making this claim ?"

Golvarn stopped stroking his face and calmly deposited his hands on the table.

"The timing. It is too perfect. A giant spell striking down the kingdom, the most powerful fortress we hold getting conquered, and then you arrive — a royal noble in the most unexpected city of all. But what intrigues me the most is the order I just received. I can't help but wonder if you are linked to all these events."

 _...Oh. He was actually talking about the orc attack, not Enigma's. Although, I don't see the point he's trying to make…_

"That surely isn't the only reasons for you to ask me this question ?"

"Of course, you are a brilliant man. If it weren't for me, no one would have grasped all the signs. That was bold but skillfully played — with all the emperor's spies around. I invited you here where we can talk freely, have no fear to answer."

 _Does it mean that the king was the one spying on us ? No, let's not make hasty conclusions. Furthermore, what signs ? I don't remember sending hidden messages ? Let's play safe..._

"I did not order the attack on Fornost, to give you my answer, it was just a mere coincidence. However, I am quite interested in what you actually guessed about me."

The noble relaxed in his chair as he heard this — probably relieved from a significant weight.

"I'm glad to hear that. That would have made further negotiation quite difficult if it had been the case. But, let's get to the important part."

Golvarn took a quick glance at the men seated at his right — the latter getting more comfortable on his chair as he replied to this regard.

"Bale and I found all of this really odd. Why would a royal noble suddenly come to our city and demonstrate his power ? You even used of your person to help the citizens who now call you the Savior of Tomes — someone of your rank would never have done such thing..."

Still stretching his mustache, the noble continued his explanation in a confident tone.

"Digging deeper, we found a man carrying an odd piece of money — he said that you were the one who gave it to him. The golden coin revealed to have strange symbols on it, an eye taking the form of the sun instead of the emperor's face. Surely you had not forgotten that money change face when power changes hand ? By handing such a coin, you are defying the emperor himself."

The noble was intensively looking at Kabal's reaction who tried to stay as inscrutable as he could in the sight of such revelation — displaying his usual smile.

 _Fuck. I'm screwed. I have no explanation to give him unless I reveal my true identity._

"And now, we are ordered to leave Tomes and burn all of the villages up to Castra Regina to leave a barren land to the orcs — the strategy of the scorched earth. That would have been an incredibly dumb tactic, but it appears that the decision had been made to carry a guerilla warfare on the orc territory using the emperor close guards who will utilize our treasures. Obviously, this is a strategy to suffer a minimum of victims, as it only uses the best of our troops — but it leaves the emperor undefended at the same time."

Golvarn leaned closer as he landed his sharp regard on Kabal.

"Even if you are not under Fornost's attack, you knew about it. Your presence here prove this fact, and you are most likely the one who thought of this guerilla strategy. All of this has a clear goal to my eyes — you want to overthrow the current emperor if I am not mistaken. If you wanted so badly to get remarked, it goes without saying that you knew who we were and wanted to take contact with us. But my question is, why would you want the throne ?"

Kabal was a bit dumbfounded by what the noble just said. All of it was pure speculation, yet the conclusion to which he came was correct. Should he tell him that all of this was pure coincidence ? No — Golvarn would not believe him since he obviously should know these things as a royal noble. Should he kill him to make up for his mistakes ? No — that would completely dismiss Ester's plan.

In this situation, Kabal found nothing better but to tell the truth.

"Aerm… I do not really want the throne. In reality, I just want to get rid of the various danger threatening me and sail to the east — where a whole continent awaits me. Power holds no interest for me."

At the declaration, Golvarn fell from his chair out of the astonishment. He stood up as quickly as possible with his eyes displaying a genuine terror.

"Have you gone completely crazy !? Even the littlest children know that he shouldn't talk about the territory of the Demon Gods ! We have forbidden the creation of ships and hidden for hundred years because of them. This is pure madness but to try and defy them !"

Calming himself, the noble slowed down his pace and continued his monolog as Kabal looked him with glowing eyes.

 _It seems that this world holds something interesting after all ! So this really was the beginner area. What a great news !_

"Although it explains a lot of things coming from you… If that is only it, I will help you take the throne. The citizens are dying of hunger, the emperor has lost his mind, and the orcs are advancing faster than ever… Major powers are moving, and we cannot let the situation worsen. But before taking your side, I would want to know what do you expect from us as the leader of the Opposition — since you made use of such a magnificent plan just to get our help."

 _...He's just proven that Ester was right about him. How the hell did she guess that there was a revolution in the making and that Golvarn was at the head ?_

 _Well, thinking of it, it is logical. The people looked so miserable everywhere we went, and just a simple healing spell was enough for them to believe I was a god. Not counting their fear of the emperor, they were probably on the brink of taking desperate measures. That, with the fact that we are in a city badly seen by the royal nobles, make Tomes the center of the rising revolution._

 _And Ester had already guessed that when we left the inn ? That's just unbelievable !_

"...My lord ?"

It kicked back Kabal to his mind as he quickly recalled the scheme Ester had thought of to the best he could.

"Mhh... Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. Indeed, I do expect something from you— but it is a very minimal collaboration. In fact — if everything works out — barely anyone will have to die from this takeover. All that I need will be recognition from the citizens when I sit on the throne, you surely have the power to do that ?"

Golvarn watched him with an astonished look — his mouth open as if he was about to protest. He changed his mind at the last second before taking a pensive look, his regard lying on the carved table. At the opposite, Bale couldn't restrain himself after this demand and began speaking on behalf of his friend.

"Erm… Sorry for my interruption, but why should we trust you so deeply that you would lessen our part taken in the rebellion against the emperor ?"

Kabal had trouble understanding this question. He had proposed to take everything on his shoulders for them to know no casualties.

"Why would you want to take part in this ? You would only get your friends killed."

"This is odd to ask for such things, even if you took a lot of dangers to make contact with us. If you really have the power to take over the kingdom alone, you would discredit anyone besides you in this seizure of power and makes you the only real leader — holding all the rights behind it. You do understand that this would be a problem for the balance of power ?"

 _...Ester thought of that too ? I guess that she wanted me to be a Supreme Ruler with no one to disturb my reign..._

Hopefully, Kabal had put all his spirit and intellect to find a way to complete Ester's plan, and he had found an excellent idea before coming to the noble. This was the time where his learning of history had finally paid off — having studied how revolution worked in class, he knew that there was a thing common to all of them.

"Well. In fact, I do have something that I can't do alone. This is about the militia or the king's army or whatever you call it— "

"You mean the adventurer's circles in charge of the capital's protection ?"

"Yes, these guys. I need you to occupy them as we will take care of… more important things."

Golvarn reflected on this idea for a second and lifted his head to talk about it.

"I may be able to do that but… what about the weapons ? The opposition is mainly composed of citizens and farmers — we don't have the gold to pay for it and even fewer windows of action to smuggle such things."

"Doesn't matter. I will provide the weapons, but you will have to give them back as they are from my personal collection."

At this mention, the eyebrows of the Noble formed a V shape as he watched Kabal with his fingers tapping the table.

"You are collecting weapons ? These are not rusted swords of the ancient times I hope ?"

"No— of course. Most are magical, so they cannot break. My goal was to have at least one copy of everything existing — such thing being only possible with the biggest treasure that my partners and I own."

His eyes wide open and his hands stopping right where they were, the noble was once again flabbergasted to find the vast infinity of Kabal's resources.

"Magical ?! Where would you find such precious things and in such quantity ? You must be joking — there is no way you would handle such things to citizens."

"I am dead serious. I have more than a thousand of these useless junks from the time I kept everything I could find. Ahh— maybe I should not talk about this. Forgive me, but could you refrain from talking about this to your fellows ?"

"...You are a crazy man, Lord Kabal. But I guess we need someone like you in this period of trouble. I must say that you have gained my respect and my admiration — I will follow your plan. Although I would want to talk about the details with you if you don't mind."

Kabal watched Golvarn with a smile which clearly indicated that he was relieved that his small trick had succeeded.

"If you want, but don't expect me to tell you everything. There is ways to make you talk you wouldn't think of, and I want all of this to stay secret."

"Ah ah ah ! I am sure of it. It does not bother me, I just want to know what I am getting into."

Kabal began explaining what Ester had told him just an hour ago — although leaving out details such as his claim of Fornost. The whole time, he tried his best not to reveal too much while gaining the confidence of the noble and his friend — an objective which seemed to have been undoubtedly reached. At the end of his explanation, Bale and Golvarn were silently nodding with their mouth forming an expression of understanding — admiration dawned on their faces.

"And you say that you left out things ? Incredible. I did not know that the royal noble counted such a cunning man in their ranks."

"Be careful, there might be a lot of holes in my idea… I do have to admit that I am not the one to follow a plan usually — but I made an exception for this time."

As Golvarn was about to retort, a guard panickingly entered the room with the face of someone who just heard a terrible news.

"Sir ! The south has fallen, the besieging orcs have taken over the place ! They will soon march toward Tomes. What should we do ?"

"S—So fast ?! What happened to the villages and their citizens ?"

"All dead or imprisoned, my lord. There is barely any survivors to tell the story…"

"..."

Golvarn hands felt clammy. The noble could not believe what he had just heard. For two of their strongest fortress to fall in this ridiculously small amount of time ? Impossible. It was as if an invisible hand was defeating them in a joking ease. Now was not the time to doubt, but the time to act, even if it was a gamble.

"We will follow the emperor's order. It might win us some time, but we need to reflect on a counter attack. If we let the decision-making to these guys in the capital, they will just drive us to our doom."

The noble turned to Kabal with a look as dark as ever, as if the shock had taken the last bit of hope he had.

"The orc's threat has become far too dangerous… We should not divide the kingdom so early while they are rampaging in our lands. I'm sorry to ask you this, but could we delay your plan ?"

The expression of Kabal dulled as the eyes of Fistfurry became twisted in anger.

"I can't. We need to get done with this as soon as possible. If the orcs concern you, I promise that I will take care of them."

The noble's mind became engulfed by rage to what he just heard.

"And with what manpower ?! Do you plan on using the citizens of this city ?! I will not tolerate such thing ! We could get your throne, but the orcs would take it as soon as you put your back on it. Their threat is far more —"

The loud howl of Fistfurry went interrupting the noble, surprising Kabal at the same time. The sound was powerful enough to make the wall of the room tremble, and the poor guard was already crawling on the ground with his hands on his neck. The killing intent of the monk was clearly perceptible for anyone present — unbearable for the puny humans standing around — and the silence quickly took the place of the violent shock wave. In the ambient chaos which now reigned in the room, Kabal watched his servant, amazed to find that the first thing he would hear out of the terrifying monk was something resembling an autistic screeching.

"What. The. Heck. Never do that again Fistfurry !"

Understanding the words of his master, the monk dug his face into the table as he could not bring himself the meet the eyes of Kabal — evidently ashamed of himself.

 _What is wrong with this guy. I can't understand the reasons behind his actions, it's as if he was completely dumb !_

Kabal's gaze shifted to the noble who was frozen in terror, and he quickly apologized for the behavior of his companion.

"Forgive me for this interruption. My friend over here does not know of our habits. Back to our business— as I said I can take care of the orcs, and without the help of the citizens. I, Kabal, swear that the orcs will not destroy this kingdom. Believe me or not, but if there were an army of ten thousands of these monsters I brought into this city, it would not be a threat to me and my companions."

"Y—You are surrounded by terrifying allies, Lord Kabal. I don't really have a choice, do I ? We will do as you say. I promised to help you, I won't go back on my words."

"Fine then. We will meet again, but not before a week. I too, need to prepare myself. I will get back to you at that time, is that ok ?"

With Golvarn slowly nodding, Kabal rose from his chair and left the room with the guard still shivering out of fear. Bale watched his friend with a comprehensive look as their guest passed the door.

"He's impressive, isn't it ? Maybe we could let everything rest on his shoulders — he seems so sure of himself. I wouldn't mind if he were the one ruling the kingdom, don't you think ?"

"...I do not doubt his ability to rule. He would make a great emperor. He had won over us before we even began this meeting, no doubt of that... But it is his followers who bug me. They do not feel human, but more like monsters."

"He seems to have perfect control over them, though. Don't overthink it, we might have finally found the man we searched for so long. Even if he's not who we think him to be, we don't really have a choice but to trust him."

"Yes, but something's odd. We need further information, and Lord Kabal allegedly gave us 1 week to get them. We have work to do."

Kabal passed the door of the town hall and went down the stairs. Ending up in the streets, he stayed silent and walked to a quiet place where he began breathing loudly in panic.

 _Damn ! There is no way that these nobles are trusting me now ! So much went wrong ! I must have made the worse persuasive speech ever done. I wouldn't be surprised if he stabbed me in the back at the next occasion. Because of my mistakes, I will have to be even more careful now…_

Clapping his head to get back to his thoughts, he quickly took a glance at Fistfurry. After the recent event, it was clear that the monk was far from being at the level of Ester — or at least he was good at faking it. In some way, it was relieving for Kabal who wouldn't have to manage another brilliant mind among the one who served him, but it also troubled him that the strongest NPC of his guild could act so recklessly. He needed to find a way to get things under control if he wanted to avoid making enemies of everyone in the world.

"[Message]"

"Yes, Kabal-sama ?"

"Have you found anything during my conversation with Golvarn ?"

"... Sadly, we have found nothing concerning the identity of the insect who opposed us. All we could discover was that the Punishers and the Mage Guild has nothing to do with him. Also, Enigma has successfully taken over Fornost — the orcs did not seem to be the one who attacked us."

"Good work Ester. You can get back here — we're leaving the city."

"Are we going to your new bastion ?"

"Yes. The orcs might be tempted to take it back — and I need to have a talk with them."

Kabal and Fistfurry departed from the city, slowly walking the streets benefiting the unseen protection of Enigma in the shadows.

There was work to be done before taking a rest, and the Ring of Sustenance would make a perfect tool for this. The spy they had encountered this afternoon constituted a preoccupying threat, and Kabal would probably not feel at ease until they discovered his true identity. That is why he had to form a good information network using the agents of influence of the cities as well as having spies working for him and scattered everywhere. But some experiences had to be done before trying to gain their help — notably with the way spells worked in this world.

A lot of the restrictions from YGGDRASIL did not exist in this world anymore. The summoning of his phoenix had lasted for far too long compared to what it was supposed to, and it appeared that Enigma's clone had worked the same way. For this reason, he couldn't use his [Mind Control] without prior knowledge on how it performed and wanted to push his abilities to the limit — to see what he could safely achieve.

Furthermore, the result of these experiences was crucial for the following parts of the plan.

Reflecting on this, Kabal passed the big entrance of the city with the guards posted on each side of the gate. Once the two humans found themselves out of sight of the citizen's eyes, Kára descended from the sky with Ester on her back and Enigma appeared in front of them.

"Good, everyone's here. Now, we won't walk all the way to Fornost, do we ? Can you teleport us, Ester ?"

The elf smiled to the declaration as she answered with a faint tone of mockery.

"It will be done, Kabal-sama."

As Ester prepared her spell, Kabal wondered what would the stronghold looked like — having heard of it so many times without being able to take his regard on it.

 _It must be quite lively and towering. I can't wait to see the look of it._

With a smile on his face, he landed his regard on the elf from which the usual particles of lights were floating up in the air. Finishing the incantation, the elf instantly teleported the small group who disappeared from their position and instead found themselves in front of Fornost's city hall. Kabal observed the scenery and, his expression quickly changed when he understood what he was seeing.

 _What the hell is this ?!_


	7. Chapter 6 - The two survivors

**Chapter 6 — The two survivors**

* * *

 **Author's words**

Sorry for the delay ! To be honest, I am working on a new story which should be WAY better than this one — The Wolfpack has way too many flaws in my opinion. That is why it took so much time to release this new chapter. In exchange, it is a bit longer than the others. I just hope that it is still up to the expectations !

Enjoy the reading.

— Sasugasm

* * *

 **Part 1**

Kabal and the guardians were in Fornost, a stronghold of the men.

The small group was found in front of the town hall — surrounded by numerous human corpses. Watching closer, the bodies had their faces contorted in agony, and their skin was displaying various abnormal colors. The sight was horrific, a pure vision of terror and despair for an average human. Without any doubt, Kabal would have thrown up by now if he had not been in his new body. But instead, his attention was hardly drawn by the dead which held little interest for him.

Something else had caught his attention.

In the middle of this carnage, a young girl was desperately vacillating between right and left, barely standing on her two legs as she hardly displayed enough force to stay conscious. Her face was dirty, and her regard was lost in the void. One could easily imagine her astonishment as she found Kabal and the Guardians standing in the way. At the sight of the small group, her eyes opened wide and her mouth curved in astonishment — although her confusion didn't last long. She didn't have enough force to be amazed. Slowly, her expression weakened back to a tired face while she desperately struggled to articulate words.

"I—I don't... want to die. H… Hel—p me. "

Enigma was dumbfounded by the sight of the girl collapsing on the floor — as he had assumed that the stronghold was completely empty. The doppelganger had made sure that no one would interfere with the Supreme One, yet, a mere child had escaped his attention. For him, such thing was unacceptable. The weight of his misstep was enough for him to bow down, and the doppelganger couldn't help but apologize to his master.

"Forgive me, this was my responsibility, Kabal-sama. I wasn't slacking, and I still failed to prepare the stronghold for your arrival. This girl has escaped my vigilance, even though I was using my abilities. I can only accept the price of such a mistake…"

Taking a moment to ponder the situation, Kabal observed the girl who rested on the floor and quickly went back to the doppelganger.

"What are you talking about ? Heal that poor girl..."

Enigma's mouth snapped shut while Ester quickly realized that the order was aimed at her. As a result, she began walking toward the dying girl — casting a simple healing spell. With grace, she began her incantation by lifting her hands toward the agonizing lady and reciting the words of magic. Observing the scene, Kabal couldn't help but make theories about the human corpses which lied around.

 _Is it Enigma who slaughtered them ? I can't believe it. There's no reason he would kill these people. It would make things thousand times more complicated..._

Praying for his hypothesis to be wrong, he watched Ester saving the newcomer who had asked for his help. The healing spell quickly took effect, and the girl realized what was happening. She exposed confused emotions running through her face — being relieved and disturbed by her recovery, yet terrified by the elf.

"...Uh ?"

She watched her body — the corner of her mouth curving into a genuine smile.

"I don't feel sick anymore ! My pain— it's gone !"

Her heart pounding faster and faster, she watched the elf with a face full of excitement.

"That's amazing ! Can you use this for my parents too ?"

The regard of Ester became as sinister as ever, her face twisted in anger as she watched the girl with a sheer look of disgust. Before she could do anything, Kabal quickly interposed between the two — trying to avoid troubles.

"Aerm… First of all, what is your name ?"

Ester seemingly understood that Kabal had an interest for the girl, and she instantly restrained herself from doing anything — as it would interrupt her master. At her sides, the strange lady was reluctant to answer the question — probably due to her education — but she still talked nonetheless.

"My name is Haya — Haya Pereira dos Santos. I live in a district of the lower town."

"...You seem quite young, how old are you ?"

"Eh ! I actually just crossed my fourteen-year anniversary. I could be married !"

 _Oh right. I should have guessed._

"And what do you do here ? To my knowledge, orcs roamed the city."

Haya went silent, and her expression dulled. Her eyes were wet, ready to burst into tears, but she still tried to look brave as she answered.

"I—I was hiding from them. They killed everyone, but they still didn't get me ! I was smarter."

"...If everyone died, are you sure that your parents are still alive ?"

A cute, timid expression of doubt showed itself on her face as she spoke with a more uncertain voice.

"But— if you tried... They could wake up ?"

Kabal grimaced of uncertainty. At the sight of this massacre, the girl had probably been lucky beyond reason, yet she still desperately hanged on her parents. However, he also knew that it would be cruel to scatter her hopes so harshly — so he decided to take the gamble.

"Ester ?"

"I will do the necessary, Kabal-sama."

Bowing her head, the elf looked down at the girl and asked for instructions.

"Young lady, can you tell me where your parents are ? I will see what I can do."

Haya's whole face suddenly lit up, her mouth curved into a big smile.

"They are in a bed in my house ! It's in the lower district, the one with a green sheet on the roof."

Ester quickly departed to the indicated position — even with little information — because she wanted to end it as soon as possible. The elf clearly had trouble apprehending the girl, even with her master's approval, but followed the orders without complaints.

In his turn, Kabal had several questions about Haya — in fact, her story was odd. A lot of things seemed to go her way, and he wondered if she was lying. Enigma had special abilities to detect life forms, so it was quite mysterious that he would not find her. Moreover, there had been a lot of orcs searching for any survivors, but she still hasn't been caught — as if she possessed abilities to hide. It was clear that she survived a danger which killed the entire city — a feat that she managed to achieve all alone. She was either the luckiest person alive, or she was not honest.

"Mhh… If it's not too much to ask, can you tell me what happened, Haya ?"

At the mention, the girl took a moment to think as her breath was going louder and louder. Her eyes welled, and her lower lip quivered as she began talking.

"There was the bells that tell there is an attack. I—I was told to stay inside the house, because of the orcs. But I had to leave because of the green smoke."

She paused a moment, letting slip out a sob.

"Everyone was screaming… So I went outside to see what was happening and everybody began falling on the ground. *sniff* I was alone, no one would wake up. It was so silent. T—Then, the orcs came, and I was terrified ! So I hid and I waited..."

Her regard fixed on Kabal.

"I couldn't eat, they would have found me. I was too scared, so I kept hiding until they left... W—Was it you who made them leave ? You came for me ?"

"Aerm… You can stay with us if you want. The orcs shouldn't be able to harm you this way."

He paused a second to reflect on something that the girl mentioned.

"But that green smoke intrigues me. Is it a weapon ? Do orcs often use it ?"

"I don't know about that… But I think the orcs talked about a spell."

"Mhh… I see. Wait a moment."

 _A spell ? That's perfect._

At the mention, Kabal took a crystal from his inventory and looked at it with a hesitant face. It was supposed to detect magic, but it would be a waste if he used it for nothing. Next to him, Haya had seen his hand disappear into the air, but the beautifully carved item that her savior held intrigued her even more.

"What is it ?"

"Mhh ? You've never seen one ? It's a sealing crystal. I am just checking something, it will tell me what sort of spell has been used."

"Ooh."

As the girl watched the crystal with a curious look, Kabal triggered the spell contained in the seal. A ray of light came out of his hand, and the item disappeared — fulfilling the role of gathering the data of his environment. A flow of information filled the mind of its user, resulting in some confusion from the latter. His eyes wide open, Kaval watched his hands for a second and expressed his thoughts out loud.

"Unknown magic, eh ? And stronger than a 10th tier spell… I should probably have collected more information before wandering into danger."

His eyes rested on the girl who now displayed a worried look. Apparently, he was letting his emotions transpire on his face, and his anxiety was cast on Haya.

"I don't know anything about magic but… is it that bad ?

"Not so much, but there is always a possibility…"

"If it helps, I heard from the orcs that their king did the smoke ! They seemed to be afraid of him."

"..."

 _Could it be a lone player ? If I trust her words, it should be a dungeon boss at most. If so, I can face it with the Guardians... But I should be cautious._

"Yes, that does help me. But more importantly. How can you survive such an attack ?"

A rather legitimate question. The spell of this orc "king" had literally slaughtered an entire city — leaving her as one of the few survivors, if not the only. She could well be a spy who came after the battle — at least that would be more plausible than surviving a slaughter. Following this idea, Kabal carefully observed the reaction of the young girl. He hoped to discern any sign of lies but instead, he was met with a glimpse of satisfaction on the girl's face as she proudly swaggered.

"It's because I'm special ! My parents say I have a talent — magic can't harm me ! I think that is why the green smoke did nothing to me."

 _Wow, she is immune to magic ? Probably an ability that is much like that of a skeletal dragon. That also explain why Enigma missed her. I won't ask her how she discovered that, but it is important to find if she's alone possessing such talent._

"Impressive ! Are you the only one unaffected by magic or are there others ?"

"I don't know ! But a friend of mine that works at the militia says that I am really lucky — because talents are unique."

As she finished her sentence, Ester hastened towards them — carrying two bodies of a man and a woman. She carefully disposed them in front of the girl and began talking.

"Sorry for the delay, Kabal-sama. Are these your parents, young girl ?"

Haya observed the two corpses and, with a sign of approbation, she nodded to the elf.

"Yes, this is mama and papa ! You can save them too ?"

"I am afraid to tell you that I can't heal your parents, they are already dead."

As the girl began to understand the truth, tears formed under her small eyes.

"B—But, if you try ?"

"There is no point in healing the deads. Your parents will not wake up unless we use a resurrection spell."

Ester's gaze turned to her master with a demeanor definitely asking for his orders — she was ready to use a resurrection spell if he asked her to do so. Kabal thought about it for a moment while the girl started sobbing uncontrollably — falling on the ground with her hands trembling.

 _Would it be a good idea to resurrect the parents of this girl ?_

 _No. I don't think so. Reviving someone has a huge cost, and I want to avoid weakening ourselves with this orc 'king' threatening us._

"I am sorry for your loss, Haya. We cannot help you in this matter. All I can do is to take care of you. In fact, there is a huge risk that the orcs will come back."

He turned to the other guardians who were patiently waiting for their master's orders and began explaining to them what he wanted to do.

"I don't think I will teach you something new, but the spell which killed these citizens is dangerous. Whether the caster used an item or his MP to perpetrate this massacre, he is a huge threat that we should consider."

Kabal watched the reactions of the Guardians, but he could not distinguish anything of note.

"We will stick to the plan and reinforce the defenses of Fornost. The girl is coming with us, she has an unusual power, and I want to keep an eye on it, so treat her respectfully. Kára, may I ask you if could bury the corpses laying around the city ? It is quite disturbing to have them scattered everywhere. You can interrogate our prisoner afterward."

"I see, you want to avoid the diseases. Should I bury them in the graveyard or can I bury them right where they are ?"

Apart from finding this sort of request weird, Kabal had no reason to forbid the Guardians such things.

"...Do as you wish, but I don't want to see the streets filled with human's bodies."

Bowing down, the Valkyrie left to bury the corpses as Enigma began speaking.

"Then, if you excuse me. I am leaving for the human's cities. As per the plan, I will carry the message of the Supreme One and get the cooperation needed for your glory."

The doppelganger vanished in the shadow as Haya, who had witnessed the entire scene, stopped sobbing out of astonishment.

"He disappeared ! That was magic too ? That's amazing, are you all like this ?"

"Well… That is true that the Guardians are really powerful, but you could easily learn this sort of trick if you tried. It is just training, I would say."

The tears from earlier still descending her cheeks, the girl manifested a renewed stare as the sorrow look was replaced by stars in her eyes.

"Could you teach me !? If I was as strong as you, I'm sure I wouldn't be afraid. I don't want to hide again ! I was so frightened… "

 _What's with that girl ! One second she's sad, the other she is as lively as someone can be._

"Well, I was gonna do some experiments, but I can take of my time give you some interesting objects for you to play."

A big smile showed on her face as she expressed her gratitude.

"Thank you, mister ! I promise I will help you in return."

Haya singing in delight, Ester harbored a mocking face as she whispered to her master in a way that the girl couldn't hear what she was saying.

"You want to study this girl's power and make use of her ability ? Forgive me for doubting her use at first, I was blind."

The elf quickly side glanced at the corpses.

"I see that you also had a plan for the orc leader. As always, you are steps ahead of me. I will have to strive harder to catch up. If I can't hope to get at your level, I can still do my best to make things work out in the capital. I will let your protection in Fistfurry's hands then."

 _What is she talking about ?! It doesn't reassure me the least…_

"...Mhh, ok. Good luck to you Ester."

Kabal watched her bowing down as she left and turned to the two remaining pair of eyes staring at him. It was his only window of action to quietly experiment what had changed in this world.

He could safely conclude that a lot of his abilities worked differently in this world — and he needed to study the changes. For example, the magical beasts he summoned weren't supposed to have an offensive potential at all — reckoned to be mere followers and completely passive in combat. Having seen this little variance happen to his Phoenix, he had to see the impact on his other abilities.

"Fistfurry ? I will do some experiments alone. You can keep the entrance of this castle — but I don't want to be disturbed. No one should enter unless I asked for him."

With the monk growling to show that he had understood the order, Kabal thought of what to do with the girl. After a few seconds, an idea flashed his mind, and he gave a lopsided grin to Haya — pointing at the door.

"It may be a bit late to ask you this sort of question, but is it really your will to fight ? I barely know anything of your customs, but I'm sure girls usually have other dreams in their heads, do they ?"

He was observing her reaction to catch a glimpse of insecurity, but she didn't give him anything like that. At the opposite, she gulped in fear but had no hesitation answering.

"I am not like the other girls… I don't want to marry someone, and I don't want to look pretty. I just want to do what I want."

She looked hesitant to continue, but after a few seconds, she dashed forward in her explanation.

"To tell the truth, I often thought of dying the last days... But when you came, I wanted to trust you, as if I always knew you. You're the one who gave me the feeling that I could fight ! Please ! I want to be strong like you, mister !"

 _I think I understand…_

 _I forgot to deactivate my [Aura of Devotion], and it affected her... The power it brings to this world is terrific._

"Well, if you want to fight, come with me. But you have to know that I am not like the people you used to know. I might even fight against the emperor of your country. Is it still what you want ?"

A flash of hesitation could be seen in the expression of the young girl — and even a gesture indicating her shock. Yet, she also gave Kabal a complicit glance as the idea of breaking the law seemed to excite her.

"I don't care anymore ! This is what I want. The emperor never did anything for me, and the nobles terrified us."

 _What a naive way of thinking..._

The answer bewildered Kabal as he had thought that the girl would have complained. But since she was so willing to fight, he would let her do what she wanted. Perhaps his presence and his [Aura of Devotion] was for something, or maybe she just searched for a reason to live and had taken her grip on the first person she could find. Either way, her ability was clearly something he wanted to investigate, and he wanted to keep her close.

 _In case she's related to the spy, that will do it. As the proverb says, keep your allies close and your enemies even closer._

"Fine then. But you will regret it. Here, take this and follow me."

Kabal dove his hands into the veiled space serving as his inventory and gripped his hand on a huge glowing bag from which he recovered a talisman and a magic dress. He gave the items to the girl who, astonished by the disappearing hand of the men in front of her, stumbled as she held the abnormally heavy robe.

"Ughh… It is so heavy ! What is it ?"

"Long story short, it is used by low-level characters to power level. It permits to use up to 4th tier magic with reduced cost, but you need the corresponding job class for it to be effective. That is why I gave you this talisman with it, it should level up your Sorcerer class."

 _Although I don't know if her talent won't make her immune against it..._

The girl watched the two items with her mouth wide open — she was just staring at two unbelievable treasure. Let it be magic items or expensive clothing, she had never seen any of her entire life. After hearing the explanation, she began handling them with the utmost care — as if she thought she didn't have the right to even touch such items.

"Is it really okay for you to give me such things, mister ?!"

"I got a lot of these junks in this bag. Feel free to use them if it can make you happy — at least they would serve a purpose other than completing my collection."

Haya watched the gifts as if she could not believe it, and tears of joy slowly formed under her cute expression.

"That is the sweetest thing someone has ever done for me ! Thank you ! I will treasure it my entire life !"

 _That's a bit embarrassing… Are all the people of this country going to overreact to everything ? Please, let someone be in the same situation as I am._

"Aerm… Let's go."

Kabal entered the building as Haya walked behind, cuddling the robe with a happy face. Even if he had parted from the Guardians, the embarrassed player had a lot to do. He had promised to take care of that girl — and he began regretting it.

 _Why would I choose to take care of her ? I don't even think I can take care of myself right now !_

The one truth was that he couldn't get back on his words. As such, he took half an hour to explain the basics of magic to the girl — making use of the items he gave her to make it easier. After some awkward explanation and as soon as he could let her stand on her own, he left her alone to experiment his own abilities. He stood in a different room because he wouldn't let a stranger observe his fighting style. In fact, if he had enemies, it was the perfect time to gather information on his abilities — and he wanted to avoid revealing such precious knowledge.

But little did he knew that a spying spell had already been cast in this place.

Whoever was the origin of this magic saw the unique techniques that Kabal exposed in his sight. But even with this information, he could not understand the very nature of his fighting style.

Sometimes Kabal used Beastmaster abilities, the other minute some thief spells, followed by cleric casts and then warlock incantations — but never did he revealed a pattern to discern his weaknesses. His fighting style seemed to be weak and efficient at the same time, versatile yet limited, easy to deflect but impossible to predict. Even with the knowledge of his ability, it was near impossible to find a sure way to fight against it — and the spy knew it. There was no wonder why Kabal had been in the top ranks of PVP back in YGGDRASIL.

The spearman was a dangerous opponent.

* * *

 **Part 2**

A bit bored by his experimentation, Kabal quickly glanced at the sum of the damage he had been causing to the room.

The elements had been mixed into weird reactions all around his surroundings. The floor was burned and crackled while the roof was apparently intact. Apart from these trivialities, darkness engulfed the walls — as if the room was in different dimension parted from the world. Watching closer, one could see pairs of eyes watching from the shadow — these belonged to magical beasts who patiently waited for their master. Even if Kabal had been using abilities to protect the building, some of his experiments had still been uncontrollable and caused quite some of those devastating effects.

 _...It is weird to think that I can effortlessly destroy a castle. Anyway, if I want to take up residence here I shouldn't cause any more ruffle. One last thing and playtime's over._

"[Raise Undead]."

Kabal knew that the magic had been used, but nothing happened. It was supposed to spawn a lesser undead from the ground, ranging from skeleton to zombies, but there was no sign of it working. Frustration rose as the last particle of energy from the spell faded out.

 _Damn, I wanted to use this as a way to level up my pets, but it seems it was a lost cause. What use is there to know that they can get over the level 60 if I can't get them to fight._

Taking a last look at the scenery, he turned over to the exit — still satisfied from what he just learned.

 _I should go and see what that girl is doing._

Kabal dropped his weapon who fell into the air and disappeared into his inventory, then he began walking toward the door. Since Haya was in another room, he had to go somewhere else if he wanted to see what she had done. He had given her a scarecrow to exercise herself with the [Robe of Insight] — a non-living object usually acting as a decoy to test abilities when you tried a new build.

The talisman to level up her Sorcerer's class had worked, in contrary to what he would have thought, and she had successfully used the most basic spells. The girl having gained the ability to use magic, he just had to make her cast a spell. After some embarrassed explanations, he had left her to try out some different spells instructed in the [Lesser Book of Spells] that every sorcerer had to read in YGGDRASIL to level up.

Now was the time to see what she had done.

Getting to the room where he had left Haya practicing, he deposited his hand on the handle of the door and called out his enter.

"It's Kabal, I am entering !"

He pushed the door and observed the room as soon as he got in. Hopefully, everything seemed to be intact, from the racks to the rug or the flags hanging on the walls — nothing had been damaged. The scarecrow was positioned in the center of the room, and Haya was lying down in front of him.

 _She's sleeping !_

…

 _Well, it should be late in the night, so I can't blame her. Besides, I do not feel slightly tired or hungry with this ring while she probably hasn't slept or eaten in the past days._

Taking a last glance at the girl lying on the floor, Kabal left the room to head outside, hungry for fresh air. Progressively, he advanced through the different rooms of the castle, admiring the work of arts that the human had deposited here and there. While a majority was visibly ravaged by the orcs, some were still left intact — conveying that feel of luxury and greatness that made Kabal uneasy.

He quickly arrived at the exit — where he could sense Fistfurry and Kára patiently waiting together. Reciprocally, the two of them stood up as they felt their master approaching and kneeled to welcome him back.

"Oh, Kára you've already buried the corpses ?"

The Valkyrie smiled while answering the question, still with her head down.

"Yes, Fistfurry told me that you didn't want to be disturbed, so I waited with him afterward. I haven't done wrong, I hope ?"

 _The question would be: how did she communicate with that guy ? He hasn't said a single word, even when I pushed him to talk._

"No, of course. You have done well... Also. You do not need to kneel each time you see me, it is embarrassing to have you lift your head every time."

Raising from the ground, the valkyrie smiled to her master's kindness.

"I can also let you know that a group of orcs is waiting outside. They haven't seen any of us, and it is clear that they are weak. Should we pay them a visit ?"

 _Already ?! They haven't lost time, eh._

"Don't do that. We will move when the orcs will make the first step, and not before. If we want to prove ourselves to be worthy, we shouldn't attack them in the back."

"Understood."

Kabal reflected for a moment about this group of orcs. Was the orc leader one of them ? In that case, should he try to approach them ? As he was deliberating on the course of action to undertake, something suddenly interrupted his train of thought.

He had sensed a lesser undead roaming the city, not far from their position, and his astonishment prevented him from having rational thoughts.

 _Are.. Is... Why... Err, nevermind..._

As he was about to ignore it, the Valkyrie rose and looked toward the direction of the hostile being. She had seen the reaction from her master and couldn't help but make a comment about it.

"It must have risen just now. I sensed it too. It can't be helped after burying so many human corpses… Should I take care of it ?"

"Hmm ?… Don't bother about it. Our attention is required by more important matters. The orcs are coming, and we should prepare ourselves to meet them."

 _Plus their chieftain seems to be quite the problem…_

Sinking back into deep reflection as Kára nodded with a smile, Kabal watched the sky with a thoughtful expression. He thought about getting Enigma and Ester back from their tasks — but he changed his mind after remembering how much he had been paranoid until now. He had overreacted at every situation and, for one time, he believed that he shouldn't lose face.

 _I can't rely on Ester every time. I need do things by myself for once. Let's just hope I choose right…_

 _~ Meanwhile, not far from the city ~_

"You retreated from Fornost because of a mere undead ?! I hope for your sake that you are joking !"

The frightened orc looked down on the ground as he tried to defend the decision of his commander to the best he could.

"It got the war chief and butchered about a thousand warriors. It is not like we could have killed such a great entity with a hundred more."

A vein popped out on the orc leader's face, and his lips drew back in a snarl.

"That is the speech of a coward ! Have you at least seen the face of the enemy ?!"

Doubt suddenly filled the mind of the warrior — but even with the hesitation that now filled his thoughts, he wouldn't back up from his position.

"That was an order from our commander, and we all agreed on following it."

"All of you, you are all the same ! I give you my trust, and you betray me when I turn my head. The past is repeating because of weaklings like you."

He turned to the other orcs waiting behind, his eyes dangerously gazing on the warriors.

"We will go back here, and if this 'elder lich' was just a clever plan to make you leave, rest assured that you will endure my wrath."

As the lieutenant bowed to the declaration, the absolute ruler resumed the march of his army. The fighters had suddenly halted because they had met the group of orcs backing up from Fornost — and they needed to know why they retreated. But it was clear that they wanted to continue walking toward the stronghold. Yet, even with this made clear, a seemingly tired orc couldn't help but make a remark about it.

"We're going now ?! But we are in the middle of the night... The elder lich is at an advantage in the dark. Wouldn't it be better to wait for the day ?"

The reaction from the absolute ruler was near instant after hearing these words. With incredible speed, he grabbed the weapon sheathed at the warrior's belt and instantly beheaded the latter. Throwing out the axe he had just taken from the orc, he turned to the shocked group of proud combatants. He had sliced through the flesh so easily that the body was still standing — serving as a warning for anyone else who would want to contradict him. Gazing at the frozen orcs with a menacing expression, he finally spoke to make sure that no one else would dare to confront him.

"I do not want this sort of thinking among my warriors. As the leader of this expedition, I won't accept anyone questioning my orders. I am sure you understand."

Gulping in silence as their leader walked toward the front of the group, the orcs couldn't help but feel relieved as the tension lowered. They caught their breath, waiting for a few seconds to recover from the sudden pressure, and finally moved. No one dared to even talk after such an event, it had been way too unexpected for them to fully realize what had happened.

And as the army was about to grasp the full meaning of such brutal action, it instantly suspended its movement. The absolute ruler had stopped and was menacingly turning himself toward another warrior.

"You !"

The dumbfounded orc watched his leader with a stupid expression — resulting in another yell from the latter.

"...Yes, you ! Who are you !?"

With a shocked silence, the warrior began panicking as he tried to explain himself.

"U—Ulgan, under the order of Vulug. I was —"

"Nothing of that nonsense with me. You are not one of us, I can sense it."

His panic turned into terror.

The targeted orc began fleeing for his life without any explanation of some sort. After pushing the Warriors aside to pass, he started running for his life — causing confusion among the audience. But awareness quickly took the place of the disarray, and the next instant, the fugitive found himself being tackled by two senior warriors. Big drops of sweat ran on his face. It was only a matter of time before he would die in his turn to the hand of the absolute ruler. And as he understood his situation, he canceled a spell which affected his body and slowly transformed into that of a human.

The sight of this transformation stunned the orcs as the stupor held its grip on everyone who saw the true nature of the intruder.

"I know him ! It's Zachariah, the Master of Illusion from the first adventurer's circle !"

His identity revealed, the illusionist tried to get rid of his constraints — but without success. Everyone knew who that referred to, and they had tightened their grips not to get overpowered by the famous adventurer. Not far from him, the absolute ruler couldn't help but demonstrate a mad smile as he yelled the name of one of his warrior.

"Thorgash ! Come here !"

After the calling, a seemingly weak warrior struggled to make his way to the absolute ruler. He landed in front of the latter and went on his knee — trying to look as proud as a warrior could be. With a judging eye, the orc's leader wasn't the least impressed and muttered his order with a commanding voice.

"We found you an opponent ! If you want to redeem yourself, you should be able to defeat him, even at a disadvantage. Go and kill him !"

Even if the question of the presence of such a legendary human rose in his mind, as well as the reason behind the choice of not interrogating him, Thorgash nodded to the order.

"By your words, I shall bring you his head."

Raising from the ground as his body hardly responded to his will, the proud warrior observed the first class adventurer with an expert look. A circle of orcs had formed in the meantime to let place to the fight and let no chance of survival to the human — the formation was surrounded by a wall of shields, disposed low on the ground in a way that the two of them had no choice but to fight.

The arena completed, the two senior warriors holding the human released him and quickly retreated behind the ranks, getting into place to spectate the fight. The release of the intruder was met with a mad laugh as he rose from the ground — mocking his unreasonable fate.

"Ah ah ah ! A fight for death ! What a joke ! You orcs are truly barbaric. But before I die, I will make sure to bring as many of you with me into the grave !"

After his speech, Zachariah took two oddly shaped swords from his belt and presented them to his opponent who commented on them.

"Hook swords ? A rather unusual style of combat, or does it have something to do with your illusions, mhh ?"

The remark snatched a grin from the adventurer who responded enigmatically.

"Who knows ? Or maybe it is just that people have a hard time figuring how to fight against these weapons."

To return the courtesy, Thorgash lifted his gigantic war hammer and stomped it on the floor to show its weight. The smile lifted from his opponent as Zachariah recognized the weapon — making him take a more serious expression.

"I only know of one orc with an adamantium hammer. Let's hope you will live to your legend, Thorgash the unstoppable."

The fight began as the many warriors spectated the two fighters. Right away, the human began casting a spell against Thorgash — who instinctively protected himself with his hammer.

"[False Vision]."

The spell began affecting the orc warrior — it was a negative status which changed the perception of reality of a single person. In a matter of seconds, his vision changed, and his opponent disappeared from his view, leaving no trace of his presence.

 _I can't detect him. What a troublesome enemy..._

Thorgash had little knowledge about this type of magic since he usually confronted pure destructive spells instead of deceiving ones. Even if he racked his brain, he wouldn't find any previous experience of such abilities. For this reason, he decided to take a rather bold approach — to wait for the first blow and retaliate as fast as he could.

"[Iron Skin]."

He prepared himself to react to the first attack that his opponent would do and went into position — ready to return the hit. Getting on his guard, the orc warrior suddenly felt a cold sensation wrapping around his neck — knowing too well that this was the burning feeling of a sharp weapon. The same sensation was felt symmetrically on the other side, the two blades surrounding him like a scarf. Oddly, there was no pressure yet, nothing that would have sliced his throat. The attack was not a sword's slash — Zachariah was about to pull on both of his weapons to add more strength in his attack.

 _He's going to behead me ! My iron skin cannot stop that !_

Reacting in a split second, Thorgash took a quick decision to save his life — not the best one he could have chosen, but still working in his situation.

"[Greater Evasion] !"

Before the two blade could tighten on his neck, the warrior crouched to dodge the attack and launched his hammer in a circular movement — using another ability to empower his riposte.

"[Flow Acceleration] !"

Thorgash knew that he had hit nothing. His opponent had most likely avoided the attack — either because he wasn't in the vicinity at this moment or because he had retreated from his position. Loud voices replaced the silence as the spectators cheered. The performance unfolding before their eyes was quite something, even for experienced warriors — but it didn't stop them from taunting their comrade.

"What are you doing, Thorgash ! You did not even see him crawl on your back ? You're not blind I hope ? Ah ah !"

Thorgash couldn't help but fall on the ground — standing on one knee to balance himself. He had suddenly felt weak from his sudden rush of adrenaline and had no choice but to take a moment to recover.

 _Not good, I haven't yet recovered from the Great Cleanup… Using my abilities is dangerous. I need to finish this quickly._

Standing up laboriously, Thorgash observed his surrounding — trying to find his opponent. The orc warrior could not see him, and any attempts to find him by his scent was a lost cause — plus there was too much noise to hear the illusionist. Everything played in Zachariah 's advantage when he was already a dangerous enemy alone. The orc warrior knew well that the slightest mistake would cause his death against this formidable enemy.

But there was one thing that Thorgash could use — the knowledge of his opponent's weapons.

Hook swords didn't have a myriad of choices when it came to attacks. Since a slash shouldn't be able to pierce his defensive ability, Thorgash believed that his opponent would rather use another tactic distinct to this type of weapon — he would surely try to make him trip using the hook. As such, he could just wait for Zachariah and use an agility boost to finish him in one smash. If the situation would unroll differently, Thorgash decided that he would take the hit and grab the weapon to pull his opponent to his range.

Standing up and getting back into his position, he yelled at the adventurer.

"Is that all you got ?! Come at me !"

Unaware of Zachariah's presence, the orc warrior was waiting with his hammer raised, ready to counterattack. He had planned what to do, and trusted his reflex to do the rest — but it all went against his expectations.

The adventurer used the only tactic that would have allowed him to defeat Thorgash in this one instant. He grabbed his opponent's hammer with his hook sword to disarm him, and, trying to defend himself, the latter subconsciously grabbed his weapon with his other hands. A poor choice. Before he could grab the handle, another attack went directly hitting his side, and a good splash of blood spurted out. The pain was so intense that he instinctively dropped his weapon which was propelled out far.

 _He pierced my [Iron Skin] !_

Yet, from the two attacks, Zachariah had revealed his position, and Thorgash had not missed this information — his only chance was to charge at him in retaliation. Taking a bit of momentum, the orc warrior prepared to himself to rush toward the direction of his enemy, but he suddenly stopped — one word was enough for the adventurer to take back the upper hand.

"[Hallucinate] !"

The whole environment changed to a traumatic view that Thorgash would never have experienced in the real world — even in his worst nightmares. The slight moment of hesitation caused by the scenery had radically stopped his charge, and the fear had been brought to his mind like a spider net catching up its prey. Would it have been the first time he had experienced this sensation, Thorgash would have lost this fight without the possibility of a counterattack. But hopefully, he knew that the spell was just an illusion that was existing in his mind only — and he knew how to break it.

Gathering all that he had left of strength and with a great force of will, he closed his eyes and forced himself to ignore the hallucinations he saw. It was his only chance to win this fight — and he would never let it pass.

His muscle clenched and he held his breath. Thorgash resumed his assault and ran toward his enemy in an indefectible charge. In two steps, he crashed against the adventurer who let out a scream of pain as he was tackled on the ground.

"Aaugh !"

Providing no respite to the stunned lad, the orc warrior raised his fist high in the air and brought it down in front of the excited crowd.

"[Steel Fist] !"

The sound of cracked bones under his phalanx indicated that Thorgash had won the fight. He opened his eyes and saw that the scenery had gone back to normal — his opponent immobile under his weight. Zachariah was dead, his torso was completely shattered under the power of his attack, and the blood flowed on his sides.

It was his victory.

But as he was about to celebrate his triumph, dizziness replaced the rush of adrenaline that permitted him to stand, and Thorgash fell on the ground — barely remaining conscious.

His body was already weak when he started the fight, yet he had chained his abilities like it was nothing. Even for a great warrior, it would have been hard to use so much energy in such little time. Thorgash had probably used more than he could — exceeding his limits to the end and pushing even beyond. For these reasons, it was already incredible that he could still be conscious.

Watching the scene, the absolute ruler knew these facts.

He was harsh, but he could recognize the potential of such a warrior when it was displayed. As a result, he stepped in as the crowd cheered and asserted himself loudly to be heard.

"Silence !"

The audience stopped talking instantly.

"Carry him out and heal him. He has earned his victory. His opponent was strong, and he was vulnerable from the Great Cleanup. What he has achieved is a great feat, so treat him accordingly."

As the orcs nodded, the absolute ruler turned to another direction.

"With this trifle settled, we can continue on our road. I won't stop until we get to Fornost. Now onward ! And I don't want any complaint !"

After a moment of hesitation, the orc's army advanced toward its destination. Some of them went to Thorgash's side and carried him with respect — but everyone walked in silence.

They had no idea that they were directly running into Kabal — yet they marched, proud and wrathful. The orc army was strong. No doubt of this. But, their power meant nothing against the guardians they were about to face.


End file.
